Capacity building for cancer awareness in Hawai'i's foreign-born Filipino communities

Community-based capacity building for cancer awareness, screening, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship is an integral component in addressing existing disparities apparent in many minority and underserved populations. Empowering community leaders within Hawai'i's Filipino immigrant community to increase awareness about cancer was the focus of a collaborative partnership between Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (AANCART) and the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service. A model curriculum was developed and tailored from existing resources and presented in a series of workshops designed in a "train-the-trainer" format. A total of 35 Filipino community leaders were trained and subsequently hosted community forums, which were designed to increase general awareness about cancer and promote regular cancer screening among Filipinos on the islands of Oahu and Kaua'i. Significant increases in knowledge related to cancer and prevention guidelines were apparent as a result of these community-wide efforts. In addition, the forums provided an opportunity for leaders and stakeholders within the Filipino community to engage in thoughtful inquiry related to existing barriers that prevent the dissemination of accurate cancer information, and also it also enabled them to engage in facilitated discussions about opportunities to empower community members in order to educate others. This collaborative partnership and the resulting community-based intervention created the foundation for future efforts to increase cancer screening rates among Filipino immigrants, with a potential to impact and reduce existing cancer disparities in this population.