Latham-Mintus Kenzie, Ortiz Brittney, Irby Ashley, Turman Jack
Department of Sociology, Indiana University School of Liberal Arts, IUPUI, 425 University Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health, IUPUI, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Apr 9;21(4):460. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21040460.
The purpose of this research was to assess leadership growth (i.e., changes in personal capacity and social capital) among women living in high-risk infant mortality zip codes who completed a grassroots maternal and childhood health leadership (GMCHL) training program. We used semi-structured qualitative interviews and thematic analysis. Three major themes associated with the training program experience were identified: (1) building personal capacity and becoming community brokers; (2) linking and leveraging through formal organizations; and (3) how individual change becomes community change. Although many of the grassroots leaders were already brokers (i.e., connecting individuals to information/services), they were able to become community brokers by gaining new skills and knowledge about strategies to reduce adverse birth outcomes in their community. In particular, joining and participation in formal organizations aimed at improving community health led to the development of linking or vertical ties (e.g., "people in high places"). The grassroots leaders gained access to people in power, such as policymakers, which enabled leaders to access more resources and opportunities for themselves and their social networks. We outline the building blocks for supporting potential grassroots leaders by enhancing personal capacity and social capital, thus leading to increases in collective efficacy and collective action.
本研究的目的是评估居住在婴儿死亡率高的邮政编码区域的女性在完成基层母婴健康领导力（GMCHL）培训项目后的领导力成长（即个人能力和社会资本的变化）。我们采用了半结构化定性访谈和主题分析。确定了与培训项目经历相关的三个主要主题：（1）培养个人能力并成为社区中间人；（2）通过正式组织建立联系并加以利用；（3）个人改变如何成为社区改变。尽管许多基层领导者已经是中间人（即将个人与信息/服务联系起来），但他们通过获得有关减少所在社区不良出生结局策略的新技能和知识，能够成为社区中间人。特别是，加入并参与旨在改善社区健康的正式组织导致了联系或纵向关系（例如，“高层人士”）的发展。基层领导者得以接触到有权力的人，如政策制定者，这使领导者能够为自己及其社交网络获取更多资源和机会。我们概述了通过增强个人能力和社会资本来支持潜在基层领导者的基本要素，从而提高集体效能和集体行动。
