186470 Multi-Sector Prostate Cancer Prevention Mass-Media Messaging and Community-Based Outreach Campaign in African American Males

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Jacqueline Burgess, MBA Candidate , The George Washington University Cancer Institute, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Steven R. Patierno, PhD , George Washington Cancer Institute (GWCI), The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Fernando J. Bianco, MD , GW Medical Faculty Associates, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Background

The GW Cancer Institute has initiated a prostate cancer screening program in Washington, DC that uses mass-media messaging and community outreach to encourage African American women to positively influence the early detection practices in their male counterparts.

Methods

A quasi-experimental study design was used to compare marketing outlets that encourage African American men to participate in the GW Cancer Institute prostate cancer screening program. The community-based outreach efforts consist of three programs: the Congregational, Workplace, and Neighborhood Cancer Wellness Initiatives, which efficaciously educate men about prostate cancer prevention.

Results

Data from the mass-media campaign showed that 66% of the 1,200 men screened for prostate cancer at the GW Urology Department were African American. In regards to the media outlets, 30% of the men heard about the screening through television, 26% from family and/or friends, 4% through mailings, 21% from newspapers, 14% from the radio, and 5% were informed from web sources.

The community-based program has participated in events with NBC4 and the Washington Redskins to screen 809 men, and has worked with 39 churches; 8 worksites; 3 fraternal organizations; 6 barbershops; and 20 community-based organizations to educate 1,150 residents from minority populations on cancer prevention and screen 140 African American men in the community.

Conclusions

African American men will conduct early detection practices for prostate cancer at a higher rate than other ethnic groups by tailoring mass-media messages and community-based outreach programs around African American women encouraging their male counterparts to screen for prostate cancer.

Learning Objectives:
1) To identify mechanisms for collaboration to increase early detection practices for prostate cancer in African American males. 2) To identify successful approaches to community-based outreach and mass-media programs.

Keywords: African American, Cancer Screening

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the Project Coordinator of this outreach program since its inception. Over the past 16 months I have presented these findings at 4 national conferences; including the American Cancer Society Bridging the Gap Health Disparities Conference, the American Association for Cancer Research Health Disparities Conference, and the NCI Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disprities Conference. I have also presented these findings at three regional conferences in Washington, DC.
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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