UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective: The objective of the project was to promote awareness about screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) among Asian Americans in Michigan. The project included assessing baseline status of the target population, Asian women and men aged 50 years and older. Various communication media were used to promote awareness, with results of educational seminars described below.

Methods: Materials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Screen for Life campaign were modified to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials in seven Asian languages. CRC screening guidelines were disseminated to approximately 1,400 Michigan residents through culturally and linguistically sensitive health promotion activities.

CRC screening was addressed through an intervention emphasizing personalized assistance to the target population. The intervention consisted of a PowerPoint presentation provided by a qualified physician or nurse practitioner. Pre- and post-intervention knowledge surveys were conducted among those who participated, in order to test the effectiveness of the intervention. A question and answer period followed.

Results: Two hundred thirty-one individuals completed registration forms at health promotion events. Sixty-nine percent of these were uninsured. Of these, 210 (91%) completed the pre-questionnaire; 202 (87%) completed the post- questionnaire and 143 (62%) completed both.

The Mean knowledge sum score increased for the 143 participants who returned both the pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, from 103.9 to 138.6, statistically significant at <.01 using the paired t-test. Furthermore, knowledge increased significantly on each knowledge scale item, indicating that the seminar covered the range of intended topics and attention was retained throughout.