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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Armando Valdez, PhD, PRISM, 201 San Antonio Circle, Suite 152, Mountain View, CA 94040, 650 917-6600, avaldez@aol.com, Carol Somkin, Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, Anna Napolis-Springer, PhD, University of California-San Francisco, 3333 California Avenue, Suite 335, San Francisco, CA 94118, Alvaro Garza, MD, MPH, Latino Center for Medical Education and Research, University of California-San Francisco, 550 East Shaw Avenue, Suite 210, Fresno, CA 93710, and Susan Stewart, PhD, UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California-San Francisco, 185 Berry Street, Suite 6600, San Francisco, CA 94143.

Latinas have the nation's highest age-adjusted incidence rate of cervical cancer compared to all other groups and fall 19% below the Healthy People 2010 goal for cervical cancer screening. These factors combined result in less early-stage detection for cervical cancer, significantly more advanced disease on admission, and correspondingly lower survival rates for Latinas. While cervical cancer mortality rates have declined annually among all women in the U.S. since 1990, the mortality rate for Latinas has increased at an annual rate of 0.2% during the same period. This adverse trend in mortality rates for Latinas indicates a significant lack of screening or irregular screening, and hence less opportunity for early cancer detection. Regular cervical cancer screening thus remains the pivotal obstacle to improved Latina cancer survival.

This presentation describes an education intervention designed to deliver culturally and linguistically appropriate cervical cancer information to low-income, low literacy Latinas. The intervention employs interactive touchscreen kiosks to overcome language and cultural barriers in delivering cancer education messages about risk, screening and prevention, to correct misconceptions about cervical cancer, and to model recommended screening and risk reduction behaviors. The efficacy of this intervention was evaluated in early 2006 in a randomized clinical trial in diverse community clinics in California. A total of 600 low-income Latinas participated in the efficacy study. The results of the study indicate the extent to which the interactive, education intervention increased knowledge, created attitudinal change, increased self-efficacy and promoted cervical cancer screening and risk reduction behavior.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant will be able to

• Describe the culturally and linguistically appropriate cervical cancer education messages delivered to low-income, low literacy Latinas through this intervention.
• Describe the use of interactive, multimedia kiosks to deliver the education intervention to the intended audiences.
• Describe the evaluation measures used to assess efficacy of the intervention.
• Describe the efficacy and effect size of the education intervention to improve knowledge and attitudes toward cervical cancer screening and promote adoption of cervical cancer screening behaviors.

Keywords: Cancer Screening, Latinas

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation