Breast cancer risk factors and healthy lifestyle: Community education project for black women
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
AIM: To promote: (A) Awareness of high breast cancer death rates in the Black community and breast cancer risk factors, (B) Knowledge of importance of screening and early detection, and (C) Knowledge of ways to improve lifestyle towards better health. The latter included education on breast cancer prevention diet (especially low-fat high-fiber diet), importance of increasing physical activity levels, achieving and maintaining recommended body weight for height, and of making other lifestyle changes (smoking cessation, and not drinking or reducing alcohol intake). METHODS: Black women volunteers who were natural communicators, and who were interested in helping educate their peers were identified and trained as community educators. These community educators, with the help of our project staff, scheduled seminars covering the above-specified aims for women within the Black community in Boston, Massachusetts, last summer, 2002. Evaluation questionnaires were developed to determine success of the seminars as specified in Aims (A), (B) and (C) above. The percent of participants who showed improved responses in the post-test compared to pre-test were computed. The p-values reported were based on the non-parametric Wilcoxon-signed ranked (WSR) test (this test takes into account both the magnitude and direction of change of scores: each correct response was given a score of 10 points; maximum attainable core was 100) obtained by the participants at post-test compared to pre-test. RESULTS: The project trained 12 community educators who educated 285 participants (including 11 minors <18 years). Twenty-two seminars were conducted. Of the 274 adult women participants, 223 completed the pre and post-test questionnaires. Majority of the participants were Blacks (77%), single (51%), and had at most a college education (42%). Their Mean ± S.D. age were 44.5 ± 14.7 years (N=165); height, 1.64 ± 0.08 m (N=174); weight, 75.9 ± 15.8 kg (N=163); and BMI (body mass index), 28 ± 5.6 (kg/m2) (N=159). Overall, for all three project Aims, 47% (N=152), Aim (A), 31% (N=174), Aim (B), 37% (N=183), and Aim (C), 22% (N=171) of participants responded with more correct answers at post-test compared to at pre-test (Ns are based on the number of respondents who answered all questions in each section, and overall, at both pre- and post-tests). The WSR test indicated statistically significant increases in scores for Aim (A) (p=0.001), and Aim (C) (p=0.013). Overall, the project had a significant positive impact on the participants' knowledge and awareness of breast cancer, and breast cancer risk factors, knowledge of screening and importance of early detection, as well as knowledge of ways to improve lifestyle towards better health (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Breast cancer awareness, risk factors, prevention strategies, and importance of early detection can be promoted successfully in the Black community through community education projects, by training community educators from within the Black community.
Paper presented at the International Symposium on Predictive Oncology and Intervention Strategies; Nice, France; February 7 - 10, 2004; in oral session 891 (Risk factors).