Research

Use of Mass Media by African American Women
The goal of this research project is to determine how to better use local media to inform African American women about the availability of mammography services. CDC will conduct a series of focus groups among African American women in Georgia, aged 40-64 years, who are either participating in or eligible for the NBCCEDP. This research seeks to:

1. Determine from respondents how African-American women use television and radio as sources of health information.
2. Identify the types of programs and stations they listen to or watch.
3. Determine the hours in which they are listening to or watching programs.

Additionally, the research will explore the types of print media that may be most useful in reaching the targeted population. Results from focus groups will be used to test and develop an intervention designed to raise the visibility of the NBCCEDP among African American women.

Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening in Never and Rarely Screened Women
The purpose of this formative research project was to better understand why some Mexican and Mexican American women living in the United States are never or rarely screened for breast and cervical cancers. Research activities included a review of literature describing barriers to screening and focus groups conducted with Mexican and Mexican American women. This project examined participants' general knowledge of breast and cervical cancers and screening tests for those diseases, attitudes and beliefs about screening for breast and cervical cancers, facilitators and barriers to such screening, and social influences on decisions to screen for breast and cervical cancers. The results of this project are relevant to the planning of behavioral intervention research to reach Mexican and Mexican American women and increase their participation in breast and cervical cancer screening.

Data Linkage with the Indian Health Service
Racial misclassification of American Indians and Alaska Natives in cancer registry data affects cancer statistics and hampers program planning for cancer prevention and control efforts for these populations. The Indian Health Service (IHS) and CDC have conducted a one-year data linkage project to help registries more accurately describe the burden of cancer among American Indians and Alaska Natives. Data from 25 state registries in the NPCR have been linked with data from the IHS patient registration records to improve the classification of American Indian/Alaska Native race in the registries. Preliminary results were presented at the CDC's 2003 Cancer Conference.

Monograph on Colorectal Cancer
The CDC is collaborating with the National Cancer Institute, NAACCR, and state cancer registries to use cancer incidence and mortality data to produce a monograph on colorectal cancer. The monograph will consist of about 10 peer-reviewed scientific papers, with examples of topics as follows: incidence of colorectal cancer by age, sex, race, and ethnicity; trends in colorectal cancer incidence; regional variations in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality; factors associated with regional differences in incidence and mortality; and colorectal cancer mortality and years of life lost by race and ethnicity. The specific topics will be selected by the collaborators. Data analyses for this monograph will help describe the burden of colorectal cancer, identify groups most at risk (for targeted interventions), and help monitor progress in meeting national goals to reduce the burden of cancer. The goal of the monograph is to support the development of comprehensive approaches to the prevention and control of colorectal cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States.

Prostate Cancer Screening Choices for African Americans
CDC is funding research by the University of California at Berkeley, in collaboration with the Northern California Cancer Center, to measure the impact of a culturally responsive telephone counseling intervention to help African American men make decisions about prostate cancer screening. The research also will assess whether African American men with a first-degree family history of prostate cancer differ from African American men with no family history with regard to risk perception, knowledge of prostate cancer, cancer concerns, and screening behaviors. Data are projected to increase African American men's knowledge about prostate cancer and inform them of the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening.

Racial Differences in Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
The purpose of this project is to examine whether ethnic differences exist in risk factors for breast cancer. We will add to the body of knowledge concerning breast cancer risk factors as they apply to African American and white women in the Carolina Breast Cancer Study. The present analysis will investigate potential differences between black women and white women in the reproductive risk factors of age at menarche, age at menopause, parity, age at first full-term pregnancy, oral contraceptive use, lactation, hormone replacement therapy, and induced and spontaneous abortion. In addition, the lifestyle factors of education, family history, BMI, smoking, alcohol, and history of benign breast disease will be evaluated. Age-specific effects will be considered.

Study Highlights Methods and Messages for Reaching Diverse Populations
A recent study suggests that a sizeable proportion of patients are not being advised by their physicians to have a fecal occult blood test (FOBT)—a test used to detect colorectal cancer. According to the authors of the study, nearly 95 percent of Americans aged 50 years or older who visited a doctor in the past year and who reported they had not recently been screened for colorectal cancer using a FOBT, said they were not told by their physicians to have the test. The authors stressed, "efforts are needed to ensure that physicians are aware the patients who are racial/ethnic minorities or new immigrants and those who have lower education attainment are less likely to have undergone routine colorectal cancer screening." Access the Society for Public Health Education's press release (PDF–29K)* for additional information.

Coughlin SS, Thompson T. Physician recommendation for colorectal cancer screening by race, ethnicity, and health insurance status among men and women in the United States, 2000. Health Promotion Practice 2005;6(4):369–378.

Study Examines Coverage for Uninsured Latino Children
Community-based case managers are more effective than traditional Medicaid and SCHIP outreach efforts in enrolling Latino children in health insurance programs, according to a study* in Pediatrics. The study found children with case managers were more likely to obtain health insurance, be insured continuously, obtain insurance faster, and have their parents be satisfied with their coverage.

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