Developing a community action plan to eliminate cancer disparities: lessons learned

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Community-Based Participatory Research
• Cancer Disparities

Background:

• African Americans disproportionately experience higher rates of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers.
• The Deep South Network for Cancer Control (DSN) is a community-academic partnership in Alabama and Mississippi funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
• DSN utilizes community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to address cancer health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the progress of the DSN's cancer control initiatives.
• To describe the participatory process used by local residents and DSN to identify community needs and priorities.
• To elaborate on lessons learned from developing a community action plan using a participatory approach.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 24 community discussion groups with diverse stakeholders (healthcare professionals, officials, faith leaders).
• Identified cancer health disparity needs, community resources, and county priorities through discussion groups.
• Formed four working groups to develop a community action plan based on identified themes, evidence-based strategies, and community practices.

Main Results:

• A community action plan was formulated with four key focus areas.
• Focus areas include increasing physical activity, enhancing fruit and vegetable consumption (via NCI's Body and Soul Program), and improving cancer screening rates.
• The plan also emphasizes training community partners as effective advocates for cancer control.

Conclusions:

• Successful community-academic partnerships are built on trust, respect, and mutual appreciation of partners' strengths and differences.
• The DSN's experience provided pivotal lessons in applying these principles to develop a community action plan for reducing cancer disparities.