Introduction-Younger breast cancer survivors often lead extremely busy lives with multiple demands and responsibilities, making them difficult to recruit into clinical trials. African American women are even more difficult to recruit because of additional historical and cultural barriers. In a randomized clinical trial of an intervention, we successfully used culturally informed, population-specific recruitment and retention strategies to engage younger African-American breast cancer survivors.

Despite a growing body of evidence concerning effective approaches to increasing breast cancer screening, the gap between research and practice continues. The North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program (NC-BCSP) is an example of an evidence-based intervention that uses trained lay health advisors (LHA) to promote breast cancer screening. Partnerships that link academic researchers knowledgeable about specific evidence-based programs with community-based practitioners offer a model for increasing their use. This article describes a partnership between CrossWorks, Inc., a community-based organization, and the UNC-CH Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center in planning and implementing an evidence-based program for promoting breast cancer screening among older African American women in rural eastern North Carolina communities. We used in-depth interviews to explore the relationship of the partnership to the activities that were undertaken to launch the evidence-based program.

Objectives Cancer Clinical Trial (CCT) accrual and retention rates remain disproportionately low among African Americans. Awareness and access to trials are crucial facilitators of trial participation. Strategies developed within a community-based participatory framework (CBPR) are potential solutions to increase awareness and access to CCTs. In this study, we describe the pilot phase of three innovative community-centered modules to improve basic CCT knowledge, awareness of locations to access CCT information, and opportunities to participate in CCTs. Design Four community organizations completed Community Bridges to CCTs training-of-the trainer and recruited adult African American volunteers to participate in one of three CCT education modules: a workshop about CCTs; a role-play describing one person's experience with CCTs; or a call and response session reviewing myths and facts about CCTs. Pre- and post-test surveys were collected and analyzed using McNemar agreement statistic to evaluate changes in knowledge and attitudes regarding trials. Results Trainers enrolled 125 participants in the Call and Response (n=22), Role-play (n=60), and Workshop (n=43) modules. Module participants were mostly African American, female, and mean age of 53 years. Comparison of pre and post-test responses demonstrates favorable changes in awareness of CCTs and where to access to CCTs across the sample. Analysis by module type indicates significant increases for participants in the Call and Response (p < 0.01) and Role-Play modules (p < 0.001), but not the Workshop module. Conclusion Despite measures taken to increase the participation and retention rate of African Americans in clinical trials, little advancement has been made. Developing tailored community education modules on CCTs within the CBPR framework is a promising innovation to increase knowledge about CCTs and favorable attitudes about participation that are known precursors to trial enrollment.

This paper describes the use of a unique ”Learning and Feedback” approach to tailor cancer clinical trials education programs for Community Bridges, a peer training intervention designed for African American communities in North Carolina. Generic community education modules were demonstrated with key community leaders who were designated as trainers. Quantitative and qualitative assessments were provided on understanding of content, comfort with material and cultural relevance. The generic materials were adapted into three revised modules, all featuring key messages about cancer clinical trials, discussion regarding distrust of medical research, common misconceptions about trials, patient protections, and a call to action to prompt increased inquiry about locally available trials. The revised modules were then used as part of a train-the-trainer program with 12 African American community leaders. ENACCT’s use of the Learning and Feedback process is an innovative method for culturally adapting clinical trials education.

Cancer clinical trials are a source for high-quality cancer care. However, they are often perceived as an option of last resort. Raising consciousness about cancer clinical trials in community settings may lead to informed decision-making about cancer clinical trials. Objective: To modify and pilot training materials for a community organization intervention to positively impact knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding cancer research in African American communities in North Carolina. Methodology: The Education Network to Advance Cancer Clinical Trials, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and four community-based organizations collaborated using CBPR methods to revise cancer clinical trials education materials for Southern African American communities. Three cancer clinical trials education modules were developed and piloted in African American Communities with 128 participatnts. Modules include: 1) a workshop about cancer clinical trials and what they mean for communities; 2) a storytelling discussion describing one person's experience with cancer clinical trials; and 3) a discussion session that reviews the myths and facts about cancer clinical trials. Results/Impact: This presentation describes the preliminary findings of the intervention. Participants demonstrated understanding of the definition of clinical trials. Preliminary results establish consensus that participants desire equal access to cancer clinical trials, improved community education, and personal interest in learning more about clinical trials. Conclusions: Culturally sensitive community education sessions about cancer clinical trials improve favorable attitudes towards clinical trials. Actively engaging African American communities in dialogue about cancer research is necessary to create community awareness of the role of cancer research in reducing health disparities. Engaging community partners in cancer clinical trials education is synergistic with their mission of equal access to care. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B20.