2005 Campus-Community Partnerships
The Building Wellness Toolkit: Pilot Evaluation of a Community Participatory Partnered Research Pilot Project
| Awardee: | Dr. Kenneth Wells, Center Director Department: |
| Partner: | Healthy African American Families II |
Abstract:
Depression is a leading cause of disability, but is under-treated in communities of color, contributing to health and economic disparities. Evidence-based programs to improve treatment for depression exist for primary care, but not for community agency use.
This project evaluates the acceptability of a web-based toolkit for community caseworkers to improve recognition, referral and education of depression in South Los Angeles. The project was developed as part of Witness for Wellness (W4W), a community development program initiated under a prior UCLA in LA award to HAAF. The Building Wellness Working Group developed a toolkit that includes a depression screener, local referral list and education resources. The Working Group participants include representatives of community service providers interested in using this toolkit.
The project will support a graduate student and costs of conducting a pilot randomized trial of the toolkit versus usual case work. The trial will include 20 case workers randomly assigned to usual care or intervention; 200 clients screened for depression; and 40 clients followed for one month to determine impact on knowledge, attitudes, and use of referrals. Interviews with providers and clients will examine toolkit feasibility and cultural acceptability. The project will lead to a funding proposal.
