Cancer Education in the Northwest Arctic: Empowering Youth on Cancer in Rural Alaska

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Alaska and the second leading cause of death in the USA, even though the most common cancers are largely preventable through screening and lifestyle changes. Consequently, interventions that promote sustainable behavioral change can reduce existing health disparities in cancer morbidity and mortality. In 2019, community sharing circles inspired the creation of a cancer education project for youth in the Northwest Arctic region of Alaska. We grounded the work in community-based participatory action research (CBPR), empowerment theory, and Indigenous ways of knowing, with a Community Advisory Board guiding the project. Eleven cancer education lessons were developed for young people in the Northwest Arctic, several of which were piloted remotely during the pandemic and delivered in-person in spring 2022. The project team visited each participating community in the spring of 2024 to support peer instructors in teaching cancer topics and presenting requested lessons to youth. Each participant was invited to complete a pre-lesson and a post-lesson survey. A total of 2303 pre-/post-surveys were completed. Respondents' mean cancer knowledge scores were significantly higher after seven different lessons. In 90% of post-lesson surveys, respondents (795/887) said they planned to share information they had learned during the lessons, including lessons about cancer screening exams and eating healthier. In 90% of post-lesson surveys, respondents (799/890) said they planned to reduce their cancer risk in the next 6 months, including by staying tobacco-free and stopping alcohol use. As a learner shared: "Cancer fears hope. Medical research on cancer treatments advances every day. Hope is growing and cancer is soon to be no more."