Abstract A044: Creating culturally relevant colorectal cancer screening messages and materials for tribal communities in the Great Plains
Authors: Gautom Priyanka , Thompson Jamie H. , Rivelli Jennifer S. , Tadesse Senait R. , Mousseau Richard , Heart LaToya Brave , LeBeaux Kelley , Molash Derrick , Graaf Lorrie , Wiatrek Dawn , Coronado Gloria D. 
Published: December 2023

Introductory sentences indicating the purposes of the study: We applied a modified version of boot camp translation (BCT), a validated community participatory approach, to engage tribal community members in the Great Plains to develop culturally and locally relevant colorectal cancer (CRC) screening messages and materials. Brief description of pertinent experimental procedures: CRC is one of the leading causes of cancer death in the United States and disproportionally affects American Indian adults, especially American Indians living in the Great Plains. Routine CRC screening leads to earlier diagnosis and prolonged survival from the disease. However, American Indian adults are less likely to be up to date on CRC screening than White adults, highlighting the need to increase CRC screening within this community. In partnership with the Great Plains Tribal Leaders Health Board and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors, we used a modified BCT approach to elicit feedback from tribal community members to create messages and materials that motivate tribal members to get screened for CRC. To make the BCT process more meaningful for our partner communities, we reframed the BCT sessions by referring to them as listening sessions. Eligible tribal community members recruited were between the ages of 45-75 and agreed to participate in all three listening sessions over a two-month period. The sessions consist of one five-hour in-person gathering in Rapid City, South Dakota, and two one-hour follow-up video-conferencing calls. The in-person session included a cultural presentation of Lakota teachings by a local hoop dancer, CRC education by an expert in CRC research, a presentation by local leaders on interventions to increase community access to CRC screening, and discussions on CRC knowledge, beliefs, barriers to screening, and messages/materials to help increase screening. The follow-up sessions, scheduled to occur in the summer of 2023, will gather feedback on draft materials and messages. Summary of the new unpublished data: A total of 38 adults participated in the first listening session. The key themes emphasized the importance of: 1) including Lakota words in the messages/materials as language is tied to cultural identity, 2) creating messaging/materials that are relatable, address local barriers, and include resources and cultural imagery, 3) applying a multigenerational approach to screening education in the messages and materials, 4) including cultural details about healing traditions, and 5) using visuals for colon health education and screening education. The participants suggested using videos in clinics, radio ads, visual stories, brochures, and text messages as the primary channels to disseminate the messages/materials. Statement of conclusions: We successfully used a modified BCT approach to incorporate participant feedback to develop CRC screening messages and materials and identified preferred dissemination channels for the Great Plains tribal communities. Final materials will be showcased.

Citation Format: Priyanka Gautom, Jamie H. Thompson, Jennifer S. Rivelli, Senait R. Tadesse, Richard Mousseau, LaToya Brave Heart, Kelley LeBeaux, Derrick Molash, Lorrie Graaf, Dawn Wiatrek, Gloria D. Coronado. Creating culturally relevant colorectal cancer screening messages and materials for tribal communities in the Great Plains [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 16th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2023 Sep 29-Oct 2;Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2023;32(12 Suppl):Abstract nr A044.