Abstract A85: Cancer education on biobanking: Comparing health communication channels for reaching Hispanics
Authors: Lopez Jomar , Rojas Wendy , McIntyre Jessica , Simmons Vani , Vadaparampil Susan T. , Gwede Clement , Sutton Steven , Corchado Johanna , Castro Eida , Jimenez Julio , Brandon Thomas H. , Quinn Gwendolyn 
Published: May 2016

Introduction: Cancer health communication efforts can impact beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions, and are important when introducing new concepts. The Institute of Medicine suggests culture has been poorly applied in the context of health communication, and concludes that an adequate consideration of culture requires research beyond traditional variables of race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Specific media approaches have shown improved efficacy for communicating health information to Hispanics. Recent studies indicate face-to-face interactions are the most revered and preferred communication style for health messages. Biobanks are repositories that store biospecimens for research. Healthy control samples from diverse racial groups must be represented in biobanks to better examine genetic and environmental risk factors for diseases such as cancer. However, minorities are underrepresented in biobanks. Our previous outreach activities demonstrated need for empirical evidence on cancer communication modalities with respect to feasibility for implementation, acceptability, and, ultimately, efficacy in producing behavior change among Hispanics. The goal of this project was to examine feasibility of a randomized control trial and the most effective communication channel for delivering cancer prevention and biobanking education to Hispanics. Communication modalities were evaluated based on: participation rates; change in knowledge, attitudes and intention; and enrollment in a biobanking registry.

Methods: A total of 252 community members from Tampa, FL and Ponce, PR were randomized to three communication modalities. Standard dissemination {mailed materials} (n=85), Enhanced dissemination {mailed materials with a follow up call} (n=82), and Charla {face-to-face group discussion} (n= 85). Participants received a culturally tailored biobanking DVD and an American Cancer Society cancer prevention brochure. All education was delivered in Spanish. Self-reported data on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior about biobanking and cancer prevention was collected at baseline and post intervention. After the post- test participants had an option to enroll in a biobanking registry.

Results: Analyses were based on those who completed the post-test (Standard n=71, Enhanced n=70, Charla n=40). There was a significant increase in biobanking knowledge from pre to post-test (p&lt;.0001). The increase in biobanking knowledge was greater for the charla group (4.6) than for the standard group (3.1). However, fewer people received the information in the charla group, due to low rates of attendance to the charlas. Attitudes, self-efficacy and cancer prevention knowledge improved across all groups with no significant group differences. Approximately 90% of participants agreed to enroll in the biobanking registry with no significant difference found amongst all groups (p=.53).

Conclusion: Delivery of the three communication modalities was feasible. While our data show an increase of knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy amongst all three conditions, there is a noteworthy increase of biobanking knowledge when the information was delivered in the charla setting. However, the charla condition had the lowest participation rate because several participants did not show up. Thus, although most participants signed up for the biobanking registry once they received the education, without differences between groups, of those assigned to the three conditions, far fewer signed up in the charla condition because they didn't get the education. In designing health education interventions for Hispanics, it is important to consider varied channels for dissemination for specific types of outcomes. Lack of differences between the three modalities suggests culturally tailored education is sufficient to capture the community's intention to participate in research.

Citation Format: Jomar Lopez, Wendy Rojas, Jessica McIntyre, Vani Simmons, Susan T. Vadaparampil, Clement Gwede, Steven Sutton, Johanna Corchado, Eida Castro, Julio Jimenez, Thomas H. Brandon, Gwendolyn Quinn. Cancer education on biobanking: Comparing health communication channels for reaching Hispanics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eighth AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 13-16, 2015; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2016;25(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A85.