Colorectal Cancer Screening Materials for Tribal Communities in the Great Plains and Washington State: Application of...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) disproportionately affects American Indian and Alaska Native communities. One approach to increasing CRC screening is to develop tailored messages and materials. In collaboration with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board (GPTLHB) and the South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency (SPIPA), the authors employed an adapted approach of boot camp translation (BCT), a validated community-based participatory method, to co-create tailored CRC materials.

To enhance cultural relevance, the authors reframed the BCT process and renamed the sessions as "listening sessions." Listening sessions were conducted with GPTLHB in Rapid City, South Dakota, and with SPIPA in Shelton, Washington. Each included a 1-day in-person meeting and 2 virtual conferences. The objectives were to co-create materials and messages that motivate members to complete CRC screening and identify preferred communication channels for CRC-related information within the tribal community.

The authors met with 53 tribal members across organizations. Both GPTLHB and SPIPA sessions emphasized the need for a multigenerational approach and culturally and locally relevant imagery, language, and traditions. GPTLHB members wished to include Lakota words, simple illustrations for colon health education, and recognition of traditional healing practices. SPIPA members underscored the importance of water as a symbol of healing and local intertribal milestones, such as the canoe journey. Preferred dissemination channels included physical fact sheets, posters, visual stories, animated videos, and live-action videos.

Using modified BCT, the authors partnered with American Indian and Alaska Native communities to co-create screening messages for CRC and identified favored dissemination networks tailored to each community's context.