Promoting genetic counseling among African American women with hereditary risk for breast cancer.

Abstract

e13639 Background: Breast cancer (BC) mortality is substantially higher for African American (AA) women compared to their white counterparts. Genetic counseling (GC) is a key step in management of women with hereditary BC risk, but medically underserved women of color are less likely to receive these services. We report preliminary data from a pilot study examining the impact of a culturally sensitive, multimedia educational video created to motivate AA women with hereditary BC risk to attend GC. Development of the intervention was guided by the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction and qualitative research with the target audience. Methods: AA women eligible for GC for hereditary BC according to national criteria were identified through cancer genetic risk assessment (CGRA) performed at the time of a screening mammogram at the University of Illinois Health System in Chicago, IL, and were invited to participate in the study. Participants completed a baseline survey, viewed the educational intervention, and completed a post-intervention survey. The surveys included five-item Likert scales on intentions to act on the information presented, normative beliefs about GC, knowledge, and acceptability of the intervention. Responses were summarized as frequencies and proportions, and changes pre/post-intervention were evaluated using McNemar’s test. Results: The proportion of participants (n = 30) who rated they were “Extremely Likely” to make an appointment with a genetic counselor increased from 50% at baseline to 70% following the intervention (p = 0.04). After viewing the video, the proportion who rated they were “Extremely Likely” to speak with their doctor about genetic counseling increased from 60% to 77% (p = 0.10). There was a 16.6% increase (p = 0.05) in the proportion of women who indicated their family would be interested in learning more about GC, and 96.6% and 90% of participants agreed that the intervention video was enjoyable to watch and that they could relate to what the actors were saying, respectively. Changes in intentions to act on the information presented were not accompanied by changes in knowledge. Conclusions: A culturally sensitive multimedia intervention based on a theoretical model of health behavior increased intentions to attend GC among high risk AA women. The intervention was enjoyable for minority women to watch and increased intentions to discuss GC with family members. These findings indicate that culturally tailored motivational interventions have the potential to increase uptake of GC in underserved communities.