Culturally competent training program: a key to training lay health advisors for promoting breast cancer screening

The lay health advisor (LHA) training program for breast cancer screening was conducted among Chinese- English bilingual trainees residing in Southeast Michigan. Guided by Bandura's Social Learning Theory, the development of the training curriculum followed the health communication process recommended by the National Cancer Institute. Data analysis based on questionnaires completed by 79 LHAs indicated that the breast cancer screening training program significantly increased LHAs' knowledge and self-efficacy (p < .01, t test, two-tailed) and LHAs had a positive perception with regard to the training manual. Regression analysis found that LHAs who were younger, employed, and demonstrated a positive perception of the training manual tended to have higher self-efficacy in promoting breast cancer screening (R(2) = .30). This study suggests that a culturally competent training program effectively increases LHAs' self-efficacy. The findings have implications for developing effective LHA training programs in Asian American communities where LHA interventions are rarely implemented.