Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test a community health worker (CHW) intervention in cancer prevention and to measure the success of the CHW’s in recruiting, training and supervising a group of community volunteers. Methods: A group of CHW’s was cross-trained in cancer prevention education. They developed a set of health education materials tailored to their community, and then conducted an outreach intervention in the community. After the initial intervention the CHW’s recruited and trained a group of community volunteers who then expanded the intervention into other neighborhoods. The intervention was based on home visits during which the CHW’s presented information on the causes and warning signs of cancer, appropriate screenings for cancer and primary prevention strategies. Following an experimental design, the intervention households received two hour long home visits that included a pre- and post-test, while the control households received written materials and the pre- and post-tests. Results: Intervention households showed a significant increase in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and behavior compared with pretest and the control arm. Volunteers were successfully recruited and trained but were unable to continue the intervention on their own. Conclusions: CHW’s are highly effective in conducting community-based cancer prevention and education programs. They are also effective at taking over the recruitment, training and supervisory components of a university initiated program. However, the use of low income, unpaid volunteers to work outside their own social networks and/or neighborhoods is problematic.
Learning Objectives: N/A
Keywords: Cancer Prevention, Community Outreach
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.