Piloting a community-based intervention for caregivers of Korean American cancer survivorship

Background: Limited health services research and culturally-appropriate evidence-based program implementation has focused on the Korean American population despite the growing awareness of the high burden of cancer in this ethnic subgroup. Purpose: The overall pilot goal is to increase understanding of cancer survivorship among Korean Americans and to inform strategies to implement evidence-based care options that utilize a culturally-sensitive, family-focused approach. Methods: Using a community-based participatory research approach, the evidence-based FamCARE program, a problem-solving, skills-training program for family caregivers to cancer survivors, was reviewed for cultural relevancy and adapted to include appropriate scenarios and problem solving case examples, translated, and pilot implemented through Korean American community-based organizations (CBOs). A target of up to 20 caregiver/cancer survivor dyads (n=40) are being recruited and enrolled into six, bi-weekly two-hour group sessions delivered in a community setting and led by a bilingual health educator. Survey and interview data are collected at baseline and post 4 months follow-up. Findings: Cultural-relevance of the problem-solving, skills-training program content, acceptability of the format and mode of delivery, and feasibility/capacity for program implementation through Korean-serving CBOs will be discussed. Conclusion: This study will provide important information on the feasibility of implementation of the culturally tailored FamCare program for caregivers to Korean American cancer survivors in trusted community-based settings. Piloting this evidence-based intervention, which represents a distillation and consolidation of a diverse body of theoretical and empirical work on cancer and the family, will inform translation of findings into much needed health services for this under-served, under-resourced community.