The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #62402

Sora Park Tanjasiri, DrPH, MPH¹, Lola Sablan-Santos², and Lourdes Quitugua². (1) Urban & Regional Planning, UCI School of Social Ecology, MPAA 328, Irvine, CA 92697-7075, 949-824-7422, tanjasir@uci.edu, (2) Guam Communications Network, Inc., 4201 Long Beach Blvd, Suite 218, Long Beach, CA 90807

While breast cancer is the leading site for cancer incidence among Chamorro women in California, screening rates fall far short of recommended national guidelines (Tanjasiri & Sablan-Santos, 2002). The goal of the Chamorro Breast Cancer Research Project – “Guahu I Suruhana” - is to increase breast cancer screening rates in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The project is a collaboration between three community-based organizations and one university, and involves both intervention (Los Angeles and Orange counties) and comparison (bay area) sites. Using a combination of behavioral and network-based survey techniques, the project identifies and trains Chamorro women who are at the center of their informal social networks to become advocates for BSE, CBE and mammograms. Preliminary analyses of baseline data indicate needs with regards to regular screening (58% for CBE, 55% for mammography), knowledge of risks, signs and symptoms, and attitudes towards survivability. At least eight women emerged as central to their networks, and have been recruited to become lay leaders in the intervention community. In this presentation, we will share our experiences in the first year of baseline survey data collection and analyses, including the innovative collaborative structure and the challenging processes of further partnership building, respondent recruitment and survey implementation.

Learning Objectives:

• Unique characteristics of Chamorro communities in California
• Baseline breast cancer screening rates
• How collaboration has been institutionalized in this project
• Challenges of implementing methods that are both community and science sensitive

Keywords: Breast Cancer Screening, Asian and Pacific Islander Women

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: Grant