UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective:Promote a worksite breast health education program to the over 55,000 employees/support staff of the world's busiest airport; Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta International airport utilizing the R. L. Brown Jr. Grady Medical Center located within the airport. The guiding principles for the program are the "A Principles": a) Acceptability, b) Availability, c) Accesssibility, d) Affordability, and e) Accountability.

Methods: Methodolgy included the "E Factors: a) Employ - multicultural Community Health Advocates (CHAs), b) Encourage - employers to give their employees time to attend the program, c) Educate - women/men learned the importance of breast health, d) Engage - through educational sessions, e) Empower - women/men to take self responsibility, and f) Evaluate - through process, outcome and impact measures the feasibility of replicaton. CHAs obtained baseline pre/post test, educated the airport workforce , and facilitated appointments for clinical brest examinations, mammography screenings and follow -up care. Complimentary breast exams performed by the staff of the Center. Quarterly, program performed in Spanish.

Results: To date, over 3,000 employees/support staff has participated in the program. Lessons learned include: a) the need to hire male CHAs, b) need to add a marketing specialst to increse participation, c) expand program to include evening, night and weekend shifts, and d) opportunities to expand the program for inclusion of other cancers and chronic diseases