Church-based colorectal cancer intervention in underserved Korean Americans

Problem/Objective: Despite the evidence of a decline in both incidence and prevalence of colorectal cancer, it remains the second most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third highest cause of mortality among Asian Americans, such as Korean Americans. This study evaluated a culturally appropriate community-based intervention that includes bilingual cancer educational counseling. Methods: This study reports available data on the baseline and post intervention assessment portions of a two-group quasi-experimental design that also includes a 12 month follow up on screening. Korean Americans (N=285) were recruited from 8 Korean churches. The intervention group received group education addressing access and psychosocial barriers, patient navigation assistance for screening. The control group received general health education, including cancer-related information and screening. Results: Post intervention and control group differences were found for knowledge of what age to screen for CRC, the risks of CRC for Koreans and other Asians, knowledge of risk factors such as personal and family history, age, diet, smoking/alcohol use, and living a sedentary lifestyle and risk of CRC, in the belief that CRC increases dramatically after age 50, and that age 50 is the time for CRC screening. A greater knowledge of the risks for Asian-Americans and that risk for CRC increased with having a previous family or personal history of CRC were found in the intervention group. Discussion: While health disparities result from numerous factors, a culturally appropriate intervention conducted among church-based communities can be highly effective in reducing barriers to and screening for CRC among underserved Koreans.