The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #37176

Felicia M. Solomon, MPH¹, Alicia C. Eberl-Lefko, MHS, CHES¹, Margo Michaels, MPH¹, and Everly Macario, ScD, MS, EdM². (1) Office of Education and Special Initiatives, National Cancer Institute, 6116 Executive Blvd., Ste 202, Room 2028, Bethesda, MD 20892-8334, 301-594-8989, solomonf@mail.nih.gov, (2) NOVA Research Company, 4600 East-West Highway, Suite 700, Bethesda, MD 20814-3415

Hispanics/Latinos are the fastest growing ethnic minority group in the United States with a current population of 35.3 million – an increase of almost 60% from 1990. Different Spanish dialects and diverse cultures present challenges to professionals who are developing health communications for this group. While the most obvious communication challenge is the language barrier, there are also major cultural differences that must be addressed in order to produce culturally relevant materials. To date, developing documents for Hispanics/Latinos has often meant directly translating English documents into Spanish, which has incorrectly assumed a certain level of acculturation, and has not always preserved the intended meaning. For example, in a recent study, only 11% of Hispanic/Latino women who were interviewed after reading a direct English-to-Spanish translation of breast cancer messages could define “cancer.” A better option is to adapt materials to fit the unique needs of the Hispanic/Latino audience. This brings its own set of challenges, one of which is how to adapt materials effectively using a practical, simple approach. This presentation takes a “lessons learned” approach in reporting the methods of the Office of Education and Special Initiatives at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in adapting its primary English language cancer survivorship booklet for Hispanic/Latino audiences. The presentation includes a review of the methods used to adapt the booklet, including pre-test interviews with Hispanic/Latino survivors, and a discussion of future steps and potential research questions.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Discuss the problems with creating education materials for Hispanic/Latino audiences by simply translating existing materials into Spanish.
• Describe a method for developing culturally appropriate education materials for Spanish-speaking audiences.

Keywords: Special Populations, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: National Cancer Institute
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Employed as Public Health Educator