USING COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION Instructors to Educate African Americans ON BREAST, Cervical and PROSTATE CANCER PREVENTION

Background: Although there has been a decline in cancer deaths in the US, breast, cervical and prostate cancers continue to disproportionately affect African Americans. African American women aged 45-64 have a 60% higher breast cancer mortality rate than white women as well as a higher cervical cancer mortality rate than any other ethnic group. African American men have the highest incidence rate for prostate cancer in the US and a higher mortality rate than white men. We used culturally sensitive community-based health education strategies to train community members as CHEIs to reduce breast, cervical and prostate cancer disparities. Methods: A two-day Cancer Prevention skills building course was used to train community members as CHEIs. The curriculum was based on the Transtheoretical Model. Course facilitators employed adult learning principles, facilitation techniques and cultural competence guidelines to direct the course. Participants were required to pass a written and teach back examination to ensure understanding of core competencies. Following certification, participants were required to conduct two educational sessions per year in their communities to disseminate information relative to breast, cervical and prostate cancer. Results: In year three of the project, 42 participants represented 19 community- and faith-based organizations, academic institutions and governmental agencies, across the US. Quantitative data revealed that 88.88% of the participants agreed that they had learned new skills related to cancer prevention and 88.88% planned to apply the information learned within the next three months. Conclusions: Training community members as CHEIs can significantly reduce breast, cervical and prostate cancer disparities.