Public Education Strategies for Delivering Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in American Indian and Alaska Native Populations

Abstract

A 1993 amendment to the authorizing legislation for the Center of Disease Control and Prevention's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program allows direct funding to tribal organizations and urban Native health centers. This study examined tribal programs' implementation of the public education and outreach component utilizing a multisite case study design implemented in partnership with tribal programs. Data were collected from 141 semistructured interviews with key informants and 16 focus groups with program-eligible women. Innovative strategies built on native iconography and personal encounters have encouraged participation and made the programs culturally relevant, providing insights for other communities with little experience in providing early detection services.

Use of the Talking Circle for Comanche Women’s Breast Health Education

“…In this study, protecting the women of the tribe was addressed by highlighting the need for targeted outreach materials with an improved readability and cultural profile. Participant suggestions for targeted materials are supported by the literature, which finds that inclusion of images and quotes from AI women in printed materials, using color, AI-themed graphics, engaging women one-on-one, improving education of providers and patients, involving the community in education, and emphasizing approaches that honor women and their culture are all strategies for better acceptance of informational materials (Burhansstipanov & Olsen, 2004;Kreuter et al, 2002;Orians et al, 2004).…”

Factors That Influence Mammography Use Among Older American Indian and Alaska Native Women

“…Factors that predisposed, enabled, or reinforced women’s decisions and attitudes to use or avoid mammography were organized by recurrent financial, programmatic, access, and comfort zone codes developed from interview and focus group data. In addition to expanding on earlier reports of barriers and facilitators for promoting breast cancer screening among American Indian women, such as the importance of offering incentives (Orians et al, 2004), an intergenerational theme emerged across many of the codes. For instance, family, spouses, and community support all played important roles in motivating women to participate in early breast cancer screening, and enabled adherence to clinical appointments.…”

Strategies and Stakeholders: Minority Recruitment in Cancer Genetics Research

“…Many minority groups who have experienced research done on, or about, them with little more involvement than providing a letter of support, may now demand that investigators outline what participation will allow them to ‘walk away with’ [31, 36, 53]. This is especially true in the arena of genetic research, where benefits to individuals or communities can be vague, and more immediate concerns of basic healthcare issues can take precedence.…”