Increasing mammography practice by African American women

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cancer Prevention
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Rural, underserved African American women face significant barriers to cancer screening.
• Culturally competent interventions are crucial for addressing health disparities in this population.
• Community-based programs leveraging faith can be effective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Witness Project, a culturally competent cancer education program.
• To promote early cancer detection through increased breast self-examination and mammography.
• To assess the program's impact on rural, underserved African American women.

Main Methods:

• The Witness Project utilized an intensive, community-based, culturally sensitive educational approach within African American churches.
• The program incorporated spirituality and faith to engage participants.
• Baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys were conducted with 206 women in intervention counties and 204 in control counties in Arkansas.

Main Results:

• Witness Project participants demonstrated statistically significant increases in breast self-examination (P <.0001).
• Mammography screening rates also significantly increased among participants (P <.005).
• These improvements were observed in comparison to women in control counties.

Conclusions:

• Intensive, community-based, culturally sensitive educational programs can positively influence breast cancer screening behaviors.
• Leveraging the spiritual environment of faith communities enhances program effectiveness.
• The Witness Project model, using churches and cancer survivors, shows promise for improving breast cancer screening in underserved populations.