Academic/community partnerships in practice-based research: Cervical cancer prevention the the South Philadelphia Mexican community

Puentes de Salud ("Bridges to Health") is a safety-net clinic in South Philadelphia that serves a new and rapidly growing Mexican immigrant community. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have partnered with Puentes de Salud practitioners and community members to design, implement, and evaluate a cervical cancer prevention program in South Philadelphia. Cervical cancer represents an important disease target for such a program, as its incidence and outcomes in U.S. Hispanics more closely resemble those of their home countries than of the United States. During a series of focus groups conducted by Puentes de Salud, women in this community also identified cervical cancer prevention as vital to their collective health. Funded by an NIH CTSA award, this study is a randomized trial of an educational intervention focused on cervical cancer and its prevention. The intervention consists of four interactive workshops led by community health workers, or promotoras, involving groups of 10 to 12 women from the community. Study outcomes include pre- and post-intervention knowledge about cervical cancer and self-reported Pap smear rates in the 12-month follow-up period. This presentation will focus on the process of partnership, the identification and training of the promotoras, and the pre- and post-intervention questionnaire data. The results of this study can influence policy positions on the coverage of preventative services for undocumented immigrants. Similarly, this program provides an example of an innovative model to inform health beliefs and motivate health behaviors that may apply to other vulnerable communities in the United States.