The DOI matches its Crossref record; 153 of the 153 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Community Health Workers in Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries: An Overview of Their History, Recent Evolution, and Current Effectiveness
Abstract
Over the past half-century, community health workers (CHWs) have been a growing force for extending health care and improving the health of populations. Following their introduction in the 1970s, many large-scale CHW programs declined during the 1980s, but CHW programs throughout the world more recently have seen marked growth. Research and evaluations conducted predominantly during the past two decades offer compelling evidence that CHWs are critical for helping health systems achieve their potential, regardless of a country's level of development. In low-income countries, CHWs can make major improvements in health priority areas, including reducing childhood undernutrition, improving maternal and child health, expanding access to family-planning services, and contributing to the control of HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis infections. In many middle-income countries, most notably Brazil, CHWs are key members of the health team and essential for the provision of primary health care and health promotion. In the United States, evidence indicates that CHWs can contribute to reducing the disease burden by participating in the management of hypertension, in the reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, in diabetes control, in the management of HIV infection, and in cancer screening, particularly with hard-to-reach subpopulations. This review highlights the history of CHW programs around the world and their growing importance in achieving health for all.
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In the citing paper
“Despite this potential, CHW performance is limited in many settings by the absence of sufficient training, ongoing supportive supervision and job aids [13, 14].”
From Impact of smartphone-assisted prenatal home visits on women’s use of facility delivery: Results from a cluster-randomized trial in rural Tanzania (2018) · cites this paper as [13]
In the citing paper
“The number of CHWs in the United States is growing rapidly in response to persistent gaps in the health system [103, 104], and they are serving an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic response [29].”
From Community health workers at the dawn of a new era: 11. CHWs leading the way to “Health for All” (2021) · cites this paper as [103]
In the citing paper
“Research over the last 25 years has shown that these workers can improve community health in low-, middle, and high income countries [88].”
From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [88]
In the citing paper
“Reviews of research in the U.S. indicate that CHW interventions have been effective in improving the control of high blood pressure and reducing cardiovascular risk, enhancing diabetes control, managing HIV infection, and increasing the uptake of cancer screening tests [88].”
From Reducing Racial Inequities in Health: Using What We Already Know to Take Action (2019) · cites this paper as [88]
In the citing paper
“Task shifting and sharing has proven to be effective in the control of HIV and tuberculosis and now is emerging as an effective strategy in the control of CVDs in low‐ and middle‐income countries.22”
In the citing paper
“Task shifting and sharing has proven to be effective in the control of HIV and tuberculosis and now is emerging as an effective strategy in the control of CVDs in low‐ and middle‐income countries.22”
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Early childhood development coming of age: science through the life course
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Metadata
- Authors
- Perry, H. B., Zulliger, R., & Rogers, M. M.
- Affiliations
- Department of International Health,
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- ORCID
- Perry, Henry B.
- Venue
- Annual Review of Public Health
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2014-03-18
- Volume
- 35
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 399-421
- ISSN
- 0163-7525 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-2093
- OpenAlex
- W2095802080
- Cited by
- 944
- References
- 153
- Citations by year
- 2026: 102 · 2025: 98 · 2024: 87 · 2023: 72 · 2022: 84 · 2021: 110 · 2020: 90 · 2019: 79 · 2018: 77 · 2017: 58 · 2016: 37 · 2015: 39 · 2014: 10
- FWCI
- 10.30
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Annual Review of Public Health (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Global Health Workforce Issues
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health and Medical Education
- Keywords
- community health workers, program effectiveness, low-income countries, middle-income countries, high-income countries, primary care, health promotion, child undernutrition, maternal and child health, family planning, HIV control, malaria control, tuberculosis control, antihypertensive therapy, diabetes management, cancer screening, hard-to-reach populations, health care system
- MeSH terms
- Child, Community Health Workers, Developing Countries, Health Priorities, Health Services Accessibility, Humans, Nutrition Disorders, Primary Health Care, Global Health, HIV Infections, Women's Health, Developed Countries, Child Mortality
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Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Community Health Workers in Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries: An Overview of Their History, Recent Evolution, and Current Effectiveness. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182354
- The paper
- Perry, H. B., Zulliger, R., & Rogers, M. M. (2014). Community Health Workers in Low-, Middle-, and High-Income Countries: An Overview of Their History, Recent Evolution, and Current Effectiveness. Annual Review of Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-182354
