Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte: A promotoras-led culturally competent and linguistically appropriate cervical cancer prevention project for Latina women in the United States

Background: Cervical cancer screening helps reduce the burden of cervical cancer in the U.S. Latina women continually face disparities in cervical cancer outcomes although it is a preventable disease; incidence is nearly twice as high, and mortality rate is 50% higher in Latina women compared to non-Hispanic Whites.

Objective: In an effort to reduce cervical cancer disparities, the National Council of La Raza's (NCLR) Institute for Hispanic Health, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), developed a culturally competent and linguistically appropriate intervention, Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte (Healthy Woman, Strong Family).

Methods: This project, led by promotoras de salud (community health workers), addressed the culturally specific needs of Latinas and aimed to increase knowledge, change attitudes, increase self-efficacy, and increase cervical cancer screening among Latina women. The project was developed with a community-based participatory approach and is being piloted with two NCLR Affiliates in Chicago, IL and Washington, DC.

Results: Demographic analysis revealed that increased age and marital status were associated with less desirable outcomes, whereas educational level was significantly related to positive cervical cancer screening-related outcomes. All promotoras trained reported satisfaction with the training received and the educational materials developed, tailored to meet the needs of the Latino community.

Conclusions: Reaching over 1,500 Latinas, this project has demonstrated effectiveness in increasing cervical cancer knowledge, as well as positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions to obtain cervical cancer screenings. Detailed results will be presented as well as lessons learned from the project design, evaluation strategies, and outcomes.