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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing
4217.0: Tuesday, November 06, 2007 - 3:20 PM

Abstract #153460

Healthy Colon, Healthy Life: A Model for Increasing Rates of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Latinos and Vietnamese

Judith Walsh, MD, MPH1, Rene Salazar, MD2, Tung Nguyen, MD2, Celia Kaplan, DrPH3, Jimmy Hwang, PhD4, Rena Pasick, DrPH5, and Steve McPhee, MD2. (1) Division of General Internal Medicine and Women's Health Clinical Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, 1635 Divisadero Suite 600, San Francisco, CA 94115, 415-353-9979, judith.walsh@ucsf.edu, (2) Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA 94143-0320, (3) Medical Effectiveness Research Center, University of California, San Francisco, 3333 California St. , Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94143, (4) Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, 2340 Sutter A-740, San Francisco, CA 94143, (5) Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, 185 Berry St. Suite 6600, San Francisco, CA 94107

PROBLEM: Although rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are increasing, they are still low, particularly in ethnic minority groups.

METHODS: We developed in Spanish and Vietnamese brochures and telephone counseling (TC) tailored both to cultural and individual barriers. In partnership with a community-based organization, we trained 8 lay health workers to perform TC and then randomized 1793 participants to 1) brochure plus fecal occult blood test (FOBT) kit (n=765), 2) brochure, FOBT plus tailored TC (n=768), and 3) usual care (n=256). Participants completed baseline surveys about CRC screening, then received intervention, then completed follow-up surveys. FOBT receipt was the main outcome. Individuals with FOBT within 1 y, sigmoidoscopy within 5 y, or colonoscopy within 10 y were defined as up-to-date with screening.

RESULTS: At baseline, among 1013 Latinos, 38% had FOBT within 1 y; 51% were up-to-date with screening. Among 808 Vietnamese, 53% had FOBT within 1 year; 74% were up-to-date with screening. To date, 804 participants (45%) have completed the follow-up survey, to be done by 4/07. Preliminary analyses show a significant impact of the intervention: FOBT screening rates increased by 4.3% in the control group, 17.7% in the brochure group and 26.6% in the brochure/TC group (p<0.01). Additional analyses will analyze the impact of the intervention in Latinos and Vietnamese separately and multiple regression models will help define additional sociodemographic, health and attitudinal predictors of CRC screening.

CONCLUSION: Spanish and Vietnamese brochuresand telephone counseling by lay health workers may produce a significant impact on rates of CRC screening.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Cancer Screening, Epidemiology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Cancer Screening

The 135th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 3-7, 2007) of APHA