Within the eyes of the people: using a photonovel as a consciousness-raising health literacy tool with ESL-speaking immigrant women.

OBJECTIVES: This research examines if the process of creating and using a participatory photonovel can empower immigrant ESL-speaking women and also act as a tool to educate these women about a specific health topic.
METHODS: Data were collected through a) two separate interviews with each participant, b) two focus groups, c) field notes during the meetings the author had with the women once a week, and d) photographs of the photonovel project.
RESULTS: The women created a participatory photonovel about nutrition entitled From Junk Food to Healthy Eating: Tanya's Journey to a Better Life (to view this photonovel go to: http://www.photonovel.ca). The findings demonstrate that the photonovel can be an effective health literacy tool for immigrant ESL-speaking women, that it created community among the women, that it helped the women feel important and that it shifted their consciousness about nutrition in Canada. DISCUSSION: More funding should be given towards participatory research to ensure that ways to address the health literacy needs of ESL-speaking immigrant women in Canada match their needs. This means researching ways to create health literacy materials that have visuals that are representative of the diverse population of Canadians and with language that can be understood. In order to ensure that health literacy materials are going to be effective, it is essential that the participants be involved in the process.