186385 Breast health education promotion through young children's theatrical performance

Monday, October 27, 2008: 11:15 AM

Angela Sun, PhD, MPH , Chinese Community Health Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Janice Tsoh, PhD , Department of Psychiatry, UCSF, San Francisco, CA
Joyce Chen, MS , Chinese Community Health Resource Center, San Francisco, CA
Edward Chow, MD , Medical Director, Chinese Community Health Plan, Executive Director, Chinese Community Health Care Association, San Francisco, CA
  
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Chinese American women in California, and previous data suggested nearly 40% of the Chinese American women over 40 years old had not have a mammogram in the past year. Studies revealed that underutilization of cancer screening services among ethnic minorities are often attributed to factors such as language difficulties, cultural values and beliefs, and fear of cancer.

The study was designed to investigate if young children's theatrical performance is an effective venue in delivering health messages to the Chinese immigrant community. The Health Belief Model was employed as the theoretical framework for the intervention. A total of 177 pre- and post-performance surveys were collected at four San Francisco preschools. The participant's age ranged from 25-77 years. Approximately 70% of participants' relationships to preschoolers were mothers. Participant's length of stay in the United States ranged from 3 days– 68 years. About half of the participants have college and graduate degrees (51.5%) and 43.0% reported an annual household income <$0,000. Data analyses will be performed to examine the impact of young children's performance by knowledge gain before and after the performance using dependent sample t-tests, and to examine associating factors of knowledge gain using multiple logistic regression.

Learning Objectives:
The learning objectives for the presentation are (1) to identify at least one culturally appropriate method and tool in conducting research tailored for the Chinese immigrant community. (2) To gain skills in designing and conducting a culturally appropriate intervention for a targeted population.

Keywords: Health Education Strategies, Breast Cancer Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Ms. Angela Sun has been serving the Chinese community for more than 20 years and has devoted her career to improving access to quality healthcare for the San Francisco Bay Area’s Chinese community. Ms. Sun fully developed from inception, The Chinese Community Health Resource Center (CCHRC), a comprehensive, multi-faceted out-patient unit designed to continually identify community needs and provide ongoing classes, nutrition counseling, social and referral services, and other programs that meet educational, cultural and language requirements. Ms. Sun is currently the Executive Director of CCHRC. Under her leadership, the Chinese community of the San Francisco Bay Area has come to recognize CCHRC as a leader and principal source of culturally competent health education programs. In 2000, the American Health Plan Association awarded CCHRC the Community Leadership Award. Over the years, CCHRC has launched numerous culturally and linguistically appropriate health education programs, which were considered firsts in the nation, namely: Chinese-speaking “I Can Cope” cancer support group, Men’s Health Day, Women’s Health Day, Comprehensive Chinese patient navigation program, and a comprehensive bilingual health information website. In addition, CCHRC received the “Recognizing Innovation in Multi-Cultural Healthcare Award” from the National Committee of Quality Assurance (NCQA) in both 2006 and 2007. In 2006, CCHRC’s user-friendly bilingual (Chinese and English) website, www.cchrchealth.org was recognized for enabling users to conduct a topic search in English and download a printable Chinese version. This feature is an invaluable and timesaving tool for those who do not read Chinese, particularly healthcare providers who are in search of Chinese health/cancer education materials. In 2007, CCHRC’s innovative Diabetes support group, Diabetes Self-Management: A Cultural Approach, was highlighted for its cultural and linguistic competency and its impact on the Chinese community in San Francisco. Selected Publications: Sun, A., Zhang, J., Tsoh, J., Wong-Kim, E., & Chow, E. A. (2007). The effectiveness in utilizing Chinese media to promote breast health among Chinese women. Journal of health communication. 12, 157-171. Wong-Kim, E., Sun, A., & DeMattos, M. C. (2003). Assessing cancer beliefs in a Chinese immigrant community. Cancer, Culture and Literacy Supplement. 22-28. Wong-Kim, E., Sun, A., Merighi, J. R., & Chow, E. A. (2005). Understanding quality-of-life issues in Chinese women with breast cancer: A qualitative investigation. Cancer, Culture and Literacy Supplement. 6-12.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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