 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Malati Chenik, RD, MPH, California Department of Health Services, Cancer Detection Section Programs: Every Woman Counts, 601 North 7th Street, MS 428, P.O. Box 942732, Sacramento, CT 94234-7320, (916) 323-4761, mchenik@dhs.ca.gov, Ruth Braun, PHN, MSN, Cancer Detection Section Programs: Every Woman Counts, 601 North 7th St., MS 428, PO Box 942732, Sacramento, CA 94234-7320, and Liane Tomich Cox, RD, Contractor of Curriculum, 390 Elan Village, Lane #106, San Jose, CA 95134.
In 1999, the Regional Breast Cancer Partnerships funded by the California Breast Cancer Early Detection Program requested a curriculum for educating their populations about healthy life styles. It was essential that the curriculum be culturally and literacy appropriate. A format was developed that was easy to understand, to teach and that would provide motivation for adopting healthier behaviors which would be appropriate for reducing breast cancer risk. “The Healthy Lifestyle Curriculum for Reducing the Risk of Breast Cancer” was developed collaboratively with the Regional Partnerships. The curriculum is designed to be used in a variety of community settings and clinics. The curriculum is very practical in that it includes lesson plans, resources for each lesson, and time allocations needed to cover each lesson plan. The “Cook Book” method allows for the flexibility needed to adapt the curriculum to the time available and has the ability to meet the needs of the target audience. Pre-tests and post-tests are included which allow the facilitator to evaluate each patient and group encounter. The curriculum is broad enough to meet the needs of very diverse groups located throughout California.
A contractor was engaged to develop the lessons for each section of the curriculum. Regional Breast Cancer Partnership representatives were part of a working committee who reviewed each suggested section. With valuable input from Partnership staff, this type of collaboration made it possible to develop a curriculum that could be used by community health workers as well as health professionals. “Empowerment” of participants was the overarching theme used to develop the lesson plans. The curriculum allows health professionals and lay health workers to seize “ teachable moments” to present information about better diet and physical activity. These simple lessons encourage women to take control of their health by modifying lifestyle factors in order to reduce their risk of breast cancer and other chronic diseases.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Behavior Modification, Behavioral Research
Related Web page: www.cahealthylifestyles.org
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.