Using a Culturally Tailored Intervention to Increase Colorectal Cancer Knowledge and Screening among Hispanics in a Rural Community

Abstract

Disparities in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates exist among racial/ethnic minorities, especially those living in rural areas. There is an urgent need to implement interventions to improve colorectal cancer screening behaviors among such groups, particularly those living in rural areas in the United States. From a rural community of Hispanics, we recruited participants to attend home-based -led "home health parties" in which participants were taught about colorectal cancer screening; participants ages 50 and older were given a free fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kit to complete on their own. A pre- and posttest design was used to assess changes in colorectal cancer awareness, knowledge, and screening at baseline and at 1-month follow-up after the intervention. We observed a statistically significant increase in colorectal cancer screening awareness and knowledge among participants. Colorectal cancer screening rates with FOBT increased from 51.0% to 80%. There was also a statistically significant increase in social engagement, that is, the intent to speak to friends and relatives about colorectal cancer screening. Findings indicate that culturally tailored colorectal cancer education facilitated by in a rural environment, coupled with free stool-based test for colorectal cancer screening, is an effective way to increase colorectal cancer screening awareness, knowledge, and screening among Hispanics living in a rural area in Washington State. Culturally tailored home health interventions have the potential to achieve Healthy People 2020 colorectal cancer screening goals in Hispanic rural communities.

The relationship between metabolic syndrome and the incidence of colorectal cancer

“…Education programs for lifestyle improvements should be conducted to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer [36]. It has been suggested as an effective way to raise awareness, knowledge, and screening rate for colorectal cancer screening [37,38].…”

An Overview of the National Cancer Institute's Initiatives to Accelerate Rural Cancer Control Research

“…Culturally tailored interventions have been successful in increasing screening rates for colorectal, breast, cervical, and lung cancers in various rural regions (22)(23)(24)(25). Community outreach and engagement are also crucial to the success of cancer control efforts (21).…”

Rural Cancer Control: Bridging the Chasm in Geographic Health Inequity

“…Nevertheless, this trial demonstrates the importance of social gatherings such as churches as a vehicle to motivate healthy behaviors in rural and other underserved communities. Briant and colleagues showcased the benefits of using culturally tailored interventions to improve health awareness, knowledge, and behavior; their study showed that promotor(a)-led "home health parties" increased the use of fecal occult blood test screening from 51% to 80% among Hispanic men and women living in rural Washington State (10). McDougall and colleagues studied colorectal cancer survivors in New Mexico and found that those who lived in rural areas were more likely to experience financial hardship and less likely to adhere to recommended follow-up care, highlighting the importance that place plays in affordable, accessible survivorship care (11).…”

“…Although geography alone cannot predict cancer risk, it can impact prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment opportunities. The articles in this special CEBP Focus issue on rural cancer control explore geographic disparities across the cancer control continuum in several distinct rural communities and map out potential paths to reach geographic health equity (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12).…”