 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mollie W. Howerton, PhD, MPH, Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, DCP, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Blvd, MSC 7335, EPN, Rm. 4051C, Bethesda, MD 20892-7335, 301-594-6690, howertom@mail.nih.gov and James R Zabora, ScD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287.
In Baltimore City, African-American men experience 3 times the age-adjusted prostate cancer (PC) mortality of Caucasian men. Therefore, community-based education and screening programs are a priority, particularly for the underserved and underinsured. According to the Baltimore City Cancer Plan, 2500 male residents of Baltimore City, aged 45+ years are being recruited and screened for PC using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests and digital rectal exams (DRE) in FY 2002. A recruitment strategy was developed based on recommendations by the Recruitment Working Group. A main component of recruitment involved educating men about the risks and benefits of screening. Tailored PC education was delivered by each of the seven community sites in both individual and group settings. Community health workers, who were also members and residents of their respective communities, did most of the education and recruitment. A unique recruitment form, completed by each site for each screening, was created to track the recruitment strategies. In pilot tests, over 600 men were screened for prostate cancer: 20% had abnormal results (PSA &/or DRE), with two confirmed PC. Ministers, wives, PC survivors, and community leaders played important roles in disseminating information and motivating men to get screened. Critical recruitment issues involved aversion to the DRE, PC being a low priority, and mistrust of the medical care system. Further analyses of individual community sites will identify additional successful strategies.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Community Outreach, Cancer
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.