Nestled within the 29 Appalachian counties of Ohio exists the world's largest settlement of Amish, estimated to be as many as 30,000 people. Called the "Plain People" because of their simple way of life and avoidance of most modern technology, the Amish live and continue to thrive among the rural families in the most resource-starved section of the state. In 1997, the Appalachia Leadership Initiative on Cancer (ALIC) launched a highly successful pilot project in Ohio, to gain access and trust within the Amish community to identify the health care concerns and cultural beiefs of the Amish population. The first component of the community based outreach strategy involved preparing a needs assessment of each of the Amish settlements; the second component was to design and implement an educational program based on the results of the needs assessment. Recent data collected by ALIC on a small sample of Amish show that only 40% of Amish women over age 40 had mammograms versus 80% of all Ohio women and 47% of Amish women had clinical breast exams compared to 70% of non-Amish women. a total of 635 Amish women attended educational programs, 188 had clinical breast exams, and 162 women had mammograms.
Learning Objectives: To understand the beliefs and behaviors of Amish women concerning early detection screening for breast cancer; to increase awareness and kowledge of the importance of early detection of breast cancer screening; To increase the number of Amish women who are screened for breast cancer by linking Amish women with no-cost mammography and follow-up services through CDCBCCSP
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.