Abstract A43: Comparing changes in cancer knowledge, health attitudes, and behavior by demographics and assimilation from a multi-tiered community-based model
Authors: Thapa Janani Rajbhandari , Lyford Conrad P. , McCool Barent , Pence Barbara , McCool Audrey 
Published: May 2015

Purpose of the Study: The goal of this paper is to compare the impact of a multi-tiered community-based cancer prevention model on cancer knowledge, health attitude and behavior, by demographics and assimilation with an emphasis of impacts on disadvantaged rural minority population.

Background: There is less choice for healthy food, less access to health facilities and sparse access to public health information in rural communities that create higher risk of preventable cancer in rural areas. How families from different cultural origin react to the community dynamics are defined by their culture and language. Thus, to accurately study the effectiveness and impact of cancer prevention approach it would be helpful to compare the outcomes by demographics and assimilation.

Experimental Procedures: A project to deliver educational interventions to rural populations by using local supermarkets was launched in June of 2011 in a rural community of West Texas. The population of the intervention community is 4,571 with 64% Hispanic population and a poverty rate of 20%. The primary purpose of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a multi-tiered approach designed to reduce obesity risk factors in the targeted rural community. While, there have been programs previously developed and tested that have attempted to bring cancer prevention services to local communities, almost all such programs have been located in urban areas and few have utilized supermarkets. This paper evaluates and analyzes the outcome of this project by accounting for the heterogeneity in demographic characters.

Data Summary: The paper will be based on two group designs. First, 68 respondents, aged 18 and over, participated in both the pretest and posttest survey, they form the pretest-posttest group for one-group pretest-posttest design (16% of the respondent's primary language was Spanish, 50% of the total pretest-posttest respondents were Hispanic). Second, 189 and 145 respondents aged 18 and over, participated in pretest and posttest survey respectively. They form the community effect group (15% of the respondent's primary language was Spanish, 52% of the respondents were Hispanic in pretest survey and 18% of the respondent's primary language was Spanish, 54% of the respondents were Hispanic in posttest survey). There is no overlap between respondents in the two group design. The cancer knowledge, health attitudes, and behavior comparison will be done for Hispanic vs. non-Hispanic and Spanish vs English language respondents within the two group designs.

Statement of Conclusion: Obesity may not be an outcome of a problem in isolation; it is an outcome of a complex of socio-demographic, economic, and health factors. An in-depth applied research like this one will help disentangle this complex issue and facilitate implementation of effective prevention strategies across similar demographics with similar degrees of assimilation.

Citation Format: Janani Rajbhandari Thapa, Conrad P. Lyford, Barent McCool, Barbara Pence, Audrey McCool. Comparing changes in cancer knowledge, health attitudes, and behavior by demographics and assimilation from a multi-tiered community-based model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Sixth AACR Conference: The Science of Cancer Health Disparities; Dec 6–9, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2014;23(11 Suppl):Abstract nr A43. doi:10.1158/1538-7755.DISP13-A43