Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in African-American Urban Communities

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Topics:
Cancer

Project collaborators developed and are evaluating a multi-component, culturally appropriate colorectal cancer (CRC) screening intervention for implementation in African-American churches. The intervention, for adults aged 50 years or older, includes individually tailored newsletters, peer counseling, church activities to enhance support, health promotion videos, and a decision tool to help participants choose an appropriate screening option. The project team is evaluating the intervention in 20 African-American churches in two areas: Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, and Flint, Michigan, and will determine the extent to which the churches implemented and maintained the intervention. Researchers will assess the number of church members screened before and after the intervention, the type of screening they choose, and the follow-up after abnormal results. Participants’ barriers to screening; attitudes, knowledge, and beliefs about CRC; level of self-efficacy; and other health measures will be analyzed. The project team will see if intervention strategies and the process by which they are developed are equally effective among participants in both geographic areas. The purpose of the project is to develop an effective intervention to help increase CRC screening rates among African Americans, for whom the rate of CRC and deaths from CRC is higher than for other Americans.

 

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