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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Steve Chee, MD MPH, Community Health Sciences, University of California at Los Angeles, 330 South Mentor Ave #304, Pasadena, CA 91106, 6268404854, stevehchee@hotmail.com

Breast cancer among Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) women is increasing faster than any other ethnic group across California and is the leading cause of cancer amongst AAPI women nationwide. There has been no published literature evaluating a psychosocial group intervention in an AAPI population. This is a pilot study using the participatory action strategy, Photovoice, to evaluate an AAPI breast cancer support group. Using cameras, participants document the reality of their lives. By sharing and talking about their photographs, they use the power of the visual image to communicate their life experiences, expertise and knowledge. The goals are to begin to assess the usefulness of using this strategy to evaluate the efficacy of an AAPI breast cancer support group, to possibly further develop quality of life measures and other measures that look at psychosocial support, and to begin to assess the possibility of using Photovoice as an adjunct to support group strategies to empower women with breast cancer for social action. Findings from a Samoan breast cancer support group demonstrate that Photovoice may be able to provide qualitative data that evades other psychometric “paper-and-pencil” testing. Additionally, there is potential evidence suggesting Photovoice may not only be used as an evaluation tool but also as a therapeutic intervention itself. Overall, this presentation will aim to reveal findings to stimulate further research on allaying the psychosocial effects of breast cancer in an ethnic minority population through an innovative methodology.

Learning Objectives: