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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

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

Cervical cancer mortality rates for Latinas increased at a rate of 0.2% per year for the past decade while mortality rates for all women in the U.S. have declined annually. The public health consequences of this adverse trend are that Latinas experience less early-stage detection for cervical cancer, have significantly more advanced disease on admission, and experience lower survival rates that other women. These healthcare disparities are themselves indicators of a significant lower screening rates and thus less opportunity for early cancer detection.

This presentation describes a cervical cancer intervention that delivers culturally and linguistically appropriate messages designed to overcome barriers to regular cervical cancer screening by low-income, low literacy Latinas. The intervention combines digital video, touchscreen kiosks and behavioral models through which cervical cancer information is delivered in credible, realistic and vivid form. The interactive, multimedia kiosks engage 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 evaluated in a randomized clinical trial with 600 low-income Latinas in rural and urban community clinics. This study assessed the extent to which the intervention increased knowledge, fostered attitudinal change, increased self-efficacy and promoted cervical cancer screening and risk reduction behavior. The study results demonstrate that this education intervention can significantly improve cervical cancer screening and if help reverse the trend toward increased Latina cervical cancer mortality if deployed widely on a national scale.

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

• Describe the behavioral constructs on which the intervention for low-income, low literacy Latinas was based.
• Identify the advantages of using interactive, multimedia technology to overcome literacy, cultural, linguistic and attention barriers.
• Ideentify the measures used to assess intervention efficacy of a cervical cancer education intervention designed for Latinas.
• Describe the efficacy of this education intervention to improve Latina knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer screening, and promote adoption of screening and risk reduction behaviors.

Keywords: Health Education Strategies, Communication Technology

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation