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Thoa Nguyen, Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, University of California, San Francisco, 44 Page St, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102, 415-476-0557, thoa@itsa.ucsf.edu, Tung T. Nguyen, MD, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 400 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0320, San Francisco, CA 94143, Carol P. Somkin, PhD, Division of Research, Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94611, Yifei Ma, MA, MS, Adolescent Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, Box 0503, UCSF, San Francisco, CA 94143, and Stephen J. McPhee, MD, Vietnamese Community Health Promotion Project, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, 44 Page Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102.
Background: Asian Americans are under-represented in cancer prevention research. Physicians may play a role in enrollment. Methods: In 2002, we mailed surveys to internists, family practitioners, and gynecologists in 2 California counties. Physicians in group HMO, university, and county systems and all Asian physicians were eligible. The survey asked physicians about barriers preventing Asian women and their physicians from participating in cancer chemoprevention trials. Results: Of 603 physicians, 324 (53.7%) responded. For patient barriers, both Asian and non-Asian physicians reported lack of: English fluency (80% vs. 74%, respectively) and researcher-patient language concordance (77% vs. 70%); culturally relevant cancer information (69% vs. 63%); and physician discussion about trials (73% vs. 79%). Significantly more Asian than non-Asian physicians (all p<0.05) reported: not understanding research (81% vs. 61%); fear of experimentation (68% vs. 51%); complex protocols (73% vs. 61%); not knowing about prevention (62% vs. 43%) or breast cancer (58% vs. 42%); fear of losing time from work (62% vs. 46%); personal modesty (56% vs. 38%); and lack of personal benefits (62% vs. 32%). For physician barriers, both groups reported lack of information about trials (70% vs. 77%) and effort to learn about them (74% vs. 77%). Significantly more Asian physicians (all p< 0.001) cited: effort to explain risks and benefits (72% vs. 59%); concerns regarding costs (37% vs. 19%); and reluctance of Asian American women to participate (52% vs. 25%). Conclusions: Addressing the concerns of Asian physicians may lead to increased participation of Asian American women in cancer prevention research.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.