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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Armando Valdez, PhD, PRISM, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 152, Mountain View, CA 94040, 650 917-6600, avaldez@aol.com, Carol Somkin, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, Anna Napolis-Springer, PhD, University of California-San Francisco, 3333 California Avenue, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94118, Alvaro Garza, MD, MPH, Latino Center for Medical Education and Research, University of California-San Francisco, 550 East Shaw Avenue, Suite 210, Fresno, CA 93710, and Susan Stewart, PhD, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California-San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, Suite 6600, San Francisco, CA 94143.

Although cervical cancer mortality rates have declined annually among all other women in the U.S. in the past decade, cervical cancer mortality rates for Latinas have increased at a rate of 0.2% per year. Latinas experience less early-stage detection for cervical cancer, have more advanced disease on admission, and experience lower survival rates that other women. These higher cervical cancer mortality rates for Latinas reveal a significant lack of Pap screening and thus less opportunity for early detection of cancer cancer. This problem compels development of an intervention to effectively improve cervical screening rates to reduce this health disparity.

This presentation profiles an intervention that overcomes barriers to regular cervical cancer screening by Latinas and thus significantly improves their chances for cancer survival. The education intervention is designed to increase self-efficacy and empower women to make informed decisions about cervical cancer risk reduction and screening behaviors. The intervention addresses major obstacles to screening and delivers culturally and linguistically appropriate cancer education to low-income, low literacy Latinas. The intervention combines digital video touchscreen kiosks with vivid and realistic social models with whom low-income Latinas can identify and find credible sources of cervical cancer information. It engages women in a comprehensive, self-paced exploration of cervical cancer causes, transmission, risk reduction and screening and access to screening resources in five interactive modules. The efficacy of this innovative intervention was examined using a randomized, pre-post experimental design with 600 low-income Latinas. This study assessed the extent to which the intervention increased knowledge, created attitudinal change, increased self-efficacy and promoted screening behavior. It also examined the extent to which low-income, low literacy Latinas were comfortable using a touchscreen computer for cancer education and the degree of satisfaction with the experience.

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

• Describe the process for designing appropriate intervention messages for low-income, low literacy Latinas.
• Identify the advantages of using interactive, multimedia technology to deliver an education intervention to low-income, low literacy audiences.
• Describe the evaluation measures used to assess efficacy of intervention to improve knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer screening, and promote adoption of screening and risk reduction behaviors.

Keywords: Cancer Prevention, Health Communications

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered