Increasing awareness of primary and secondary prevention of colorectal cancer in at-risk communities of Northeast Mississippi

Recent trends have shown a decline in colorectal cancer deaths throughout the United States, with the exception of the state of Mississippi. Because Mississippi is the only state that has not seen a decline in colon cancer, the Cancer Beat It! Grant provided a unique opportunity for at-risk members of the northeast Mississippi community to learn about colorectal cancer risk factors and the ways in which a nutritious diet, increased levels of physical activity, and adherence to U.S. Preventive Service Task Force’s screening guidelines can aid in the prevention of colorectal cancer mortality. The colorectal cancer awareness program was conducted by a team of health educators at five local churches. The program’s outreach activities were both theory-driven and spiritually-based, operating under the theme “Healthy Body – Healthy Soul.” A total of 139 people were exposed to the colon cancer risk and prevention information presented through the program. The measure of effectiveness for the educational sessions was calculated by comparing individual responses to pretest and posttest questionnaires. The pre-post test results in combination with the positive testimonials from the community members that followed each event deemed the program a success. Members of each church felt they were able to understand the risk factors, make the connection between being healthy physically and spiritually, and, as a community, they expressed the feeling of empowerment and believed the simple prevention strategies provided by the grant team were feasible. Based on these findings, the team recommends further faith-based health education programming with these at-risk communities.