 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Dorothy Vaivao, RN, Samoan National Nurses Association, 22035 South Main Street. Suite 24, Carson, CA 90745, 310-952-1115, mafoo@ocapica.org, Peta Fakaiisieki, Tongan Community Service Center, 14112 South Kingsley Drive, Gardena, CA 90247, and Terry San Agustin, Guam Communications Network, 4201 Long Beach Blvd., Ste. 218, Long Beach, CA 90807.
Southern California has the largest Pacific Islander population in the continental U.S., yet little health research is ever conducted with this population at high risk for chronic disease. Three community based organizations, Guam Communications Network, Samoan National Nurses Association, and Tongan Community Service Center are partners in a breast and cervical cancer research project (REACH 2010: PATH for Women) funded by the CDC Foundation and The California Endowment to determine strategies to eliminate disparities in breast and cervical cancer among Pacific Islander women. Community Health Advocates from the three organizations will present their needs assessment findings while also highlighting their outreach strategies to eliminating breast and cervical cancer disparities for Pacific Islander women. Baseline surveys and qualitative evaluation methods, including control groups have helped to determine the successes of the program implementation. Successful strategies for cancer prevention education for Pacific Islanders include, integrating cancer prevention messages into the Pacific Islander community through community and social networks (cultural celebrations, birthdays, funerals, etc.); training Pacific Islander pastors and their wives to integrate cancer prevention messages into their sermons and church groups; creating culturally appropriate bilingual education materials; organizing cancer support groups in language for Pacific Islander families; organizing community and spiritual leaders to develop community policies to support women’s health; and daily community outreach in homes, churches, community centers, and businesses. At the conclusion of the session, participants will have increased their understanding about utilizing cultural and community strengths to reduce disparities in breast and cervical cancer for Pacific Islander females.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Breast Cancer Programs, Native and Indigenous Populations
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.