Abstract PO-019: Delivering cancer prevention programs to Latinx and Korean immigrant communities in Los Angeles through community partnerships and a culturally adapted Cancer 101 Cancer Education and Training Program
Authors: Surani Zul , Luna Bianca , Kim Dong Hee , Herrera Ergueen , Escobedo Loraine , Haile Robert 
Published: December 2020

Latinx and Korean immigrants (LKI) in the United States are less likely to incorporate cancer prevention practices (CPP), such as undergoing recommended cancer screening, as compared to white counterparts. Currently lacking are comprehensive, culturally tailored cancer prevention programs for LKI communities. One method of targeting these inequities and increasing CPP is the Cancer 101 Cancer Education and Training Program (CETP). CETP was developed in collaboration with American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) of Washington state as a cancer education resource to improve cancer knowledge, introduce preventative practices in a tribal setting, and increase survival rates for community members. Participants demonstrated a significant change in knowledge, attitudes and behaviors towards CPP. Given the need to improve CPP among LKI, and the success associated with the AI/AN CETP, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact on CPP through a culturally tailored CETP for LKI communities. We developed partnerships with the leadership of faith-based organizations (FBOs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) serving predominantly LKI populations in neighborhoods with a high concentrations of late-stage cancer diagnoses. We referenced the Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) Community Guide for strategies of implementing tailored cancer programs. We administered our Spanish and Korean language Cancer and Healthcare in Los Angeles Survey (CHILAS) to FBO members to gather baseline awareness and perceptions of CPP. CHILAS data highlighted critical components that were used to modify the CETP. We translated the newly adapted CETP into Spanish and Korean and used it to conduct cancer prevention workshops and organize cancer screening events with our partnered FBOs and FQHCs. Our results include the development of partnerships with 15 FBOs where 12,000 predominantly LKI worshipped, in neighborhoods with a high incidence of late-stage breast cancer diagnoses. The results from 2,100 CHILAS and demographics were used to tailor the CETP for the communities of interest.

Using the adapted CETP and strategies from the CDC’s Community Guide, 8,000 congregants received CPP information from the pulpit. Over 2 years, we delivered 63 cancer prevention workshops for 3,000 attendees, with 600 individuals participating in additional organized cancer screening programs and 35 volunteers and navigators trained. Furthermore, participants enrolled in community-based studies including the All of Us research project. Adaptation and application of the Cancer 101 CETP for LKI communities was an effective tool in disseminating cancer awareness and providing accessible cancer screening in high-need neighborhoods. Community partnerships shaped the Cancer 101 CETP to be a tangible and culturally sensitive resource for the communities of interest. We plan to sustain and expand this initiative through the creation of a comprehensive tool kit and training program for community leaders.

Citation Format: Zul Surani, Bianca Luna, Dong Hee Kim, Ergueen Herrera, Loraine Escobedo, Robert Haile. Delivering cancer prevention programs to Latinx and Korean immigrant communities in Los Angeles through community partnerships and a culturally adapted Cancer 101 Cancer Education and Training Program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-019.