Evaluation of Cancer 101: A Cancer Education and Training Program for American Indians and Alaska Natives as a best practice

Background: American Indians and Alaska Natives shoulder a disproportionate burden for cancer. Tribes participating in the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board's Northwest Tribal Cancer Control Project, the Spirit of EAGLES and the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service worked collaboratively to address this burden by developing Cancer 101, a seven-module cancer education resource they envisioned would improve cancer knowledge, action regarding cancer control in tribal settings, and therefore, ultimately survival rates for members of their communities. The objective of this non-randomized study was to describe the impact of Cancer 101 among Northwest urban and rural tribal community members that participated in training opportunities. Methods: Data was derived from a total of 70 participants who attended one of five Cancer 101 train-the-trainer sessions conducted over an 18-month period in Pacific Northwest tribal communities. Pre/post survey instruments were used to assess knowledge gain, attitude change, perceived benefit and future activities at baseline, immediately post training and at four to six months. Results: Knowledge scores for six of seven modules changed significantly from pre to post training (p<0.01). At four to six months follow-up, 66.7% of participants had planned or conducted cancer control activities focused on cancer awareness/education, screening, prevention and survivor support with 95.9% indicating the activities had positively benefited the community. Conclusions: Cancer 101, an education resource developed in collaboration with the community, provides a critical pathway for increasing knowledge and promoting action to reduce the burden and improve survival of cancer within tribal communities.