Mujer sana, familia fuerte: A promotoras-led cervical cancer prevention project for Latinas in the United States

Background: In Latin America, interventions using promotores (community health workers) have been effective in increasing knowledge, changing behavior, and increasing positive attitudes towards Pap tests. In the U.S., Latina women have an incidence rate of cervical cancer that is twice as high and mortality rate that is 50% higher than non-Hispanic Whites. 38.1% of Latinas in the U. S. are foreign born, making incorporation of international strategies imperative. 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), provided the Latina community with the culturally and linguistically appropriate intervention, Mujer Sana, Familia Fuerte (Healthy Woman, Strong Family) for cervical cancer prevention. Methods: This promotores-led project reached out to primarily foreign-born Latina women in order to increase knowledge, change attitudes, increase self-efficacy, and increase cervical cancer screening among Latina women. The project was implemented with NCLR affiliates in Chicago, IL and Washington, DC. Results: While the vast majority of participants reported having had a Pap test at some point, less than 20% reported speaking with their doctors about cervical cancer. Post-charla, participants demonstrated a significant increase in knowledge and intent to test; these changes remained significant at follow-up. Conclusions: The project has demonstrated effectiveness in increasing cervical cancer knowledge, positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and intentions to obtain cervical cancer screenings for a primarily foreign-born Latina population. Detailed follow-up results and lessons learned from project implementation will be presented.