Design of Interactive Cancer Education Technology for Latina Farmworkers

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Informatics
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Latinas face higher cervical cancer (CC) incidence and mortality.
• Barriers include limited healthcare access, literacy, and knowledge gaps regarding CC screening.
• Culturally appropriate technological interventions for Spanish-language CC education are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a culturally tailored, Spanish-language Virtual Patient Educator (VPE) application.
• To augment patient navigator (PN) interventions for increasing CC screening rates.
• To address the needs of Hispanic women in a rural agricultural community.

Main Methods:

• Iterative interviews with the target population to identify key cultural design factors.
• Development of a prototype VPE embodying PN characteristics.
• Focus on design and usability for low-literacy users.

Main Results:

• Identified key cultural design factors for VPE development.
• Discussed design and usability challenges for low-literacy users.
• Proposed a framework methodology and cultural matrix for similar tool development.

Conclusions:

• A culturally tailored VPE can help close the knowledge gap in CC screening for Hispanic women.
• Incorporating culturally specific features enhances understanding and trust in health information.
• Engaging the patient population in technology design is crucial for developing effective health tools.