Abstract D016: Colorectal cancer education among ethnic minority populations
Authors: Serrano Mayra , Ashing Kimlin , Fernandez Alejandro , Nerio Katty , Garcia Marisela 
Published: September 2020

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although the disease is primarily found among older adults, racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by CRC. Most CRC deaths can be prevented through early screening; yet, in most states, less than 20% of racial and ethnic minorities report having had a blood stool test within the past year. The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) launched the Screen to Save (S2S): NCI Colorectal Cancer Outreach and Screening Initiative to increase CRC screening rates among racially and ethnically diverse and rural communities across the nation. City of Hope community health educators (CHEs) worked with community, clinical, and academic partners to conduct CRC educational workshops (via PowerPoint/Flipchart) and outreach activities, and promoted screening tools, such as FIT kits, among racially and ethnically diverse populations. We administered NCI developed pre/post surveys that assessed any changes in CRC knowledge and intention to screen. A total of 134 persons received the S2S education. Most (66%) were age 50 or older; 84% were female; and 62% self-reported as Hispanics/Latinos; 14% African-American. Most (52%) preferred Spanish, 44% had less than a high school education, and 17% of had no insurance. Most (79%) of participants age 50 or older have been previously screened for colorectal cancer. Results show statistically significant increases in knowledge about colon cancer risk and prevention practices with all groups showing an increase in scores across the two time periods (Z=-7.843; p&lt;.000). After participating in one of the S2S events (n=108) 97% of participants agreed that they were more likely to talk to their health providers about CRC screening, 96% to get screened for CRC, 96% to talk to their family or friends about CRC, 95.5% to eat healthier, and 94.5% to increase physical activity. Our findings suggest that educational workshops are effective at increasing knowledge in ethnic minority populations. Although participants are knowledgeable about the risks of CRC, there needs to be more navigation and education in follow-up with participants to submit FIT Kits. In addition, intention to screen is high among our population, therefore more needs to be done in healthcare settings to follow-up with participants regarding their interest in screening. Healthcare access and coverage resources and referrals need to be provided to participants without a medical home or who are uninsured. These healthcare resources can include FQHCs and community clinics, where medically underserved and vulnerable community members can obtain low to no cost care.

Citation Format: Mayra Serrano, Kimlin Ashing, Alejandro Fernandez, Katty Nerio, Marisela Garcia. Colorectal cancer education among ethnic minority populations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr D016.