Abstract 434: Development of virtual outreach strategies to supply cancer education and prevention information during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Yellowhair Monica , Jones Desiree , Ruiz Gabriela , Castanos Octavio , Herrera Rene D. , Contreras Juan , Garcia David O. , Hatcher Jennifer 
Published: June 2022

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many individuals to continue virtually via Zoom. To accommodate this change and remain accessible, the University of Arizona Cancer Center’s Office of Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) transitioned cancer education efforts to virtual webinars and social media. These multilingual and multicultural efforts were targeted toward residents of Arizona, as well as a broader network of participants.

Objective: To develop accessible, virtual programming to engage communities across Arizona during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue cancer education and health promotion efforts in bilingual (English and Spanish) webinars where possible.

Methods: Utilizing a vibrant social media presence, the COE team developed a weekly webinar series, entitled Let’s Taco ‘Bout Cancer!, a monthly Morning Cat Chat webinar, and an annual “Col-Chella” festival that focuses on cancer education. These series are based on informal interviews and conversations with cancer researchers, community health partners, cancer survivors/caretakers, and community advisory board members. All presentations were streamed via Zoom, social media accounts, and YouTube to be accessible for later use. Lastly, demonstration webinars (e.g. food preparation) for healthy behaviors were also implemented.

Results: Since March 2020, more than 22,000 viewers have been recorded over 122 virtual cancer-related presentations that were given. Sixty-one percent of the presentations were in English and 39% were in Spanish. Collected surveys indicate the median age of the audience is 55 years old, 77% females, and 43% community members. Twenty-nine (29) percent identify as Hispanic, 48% as non-Hispanic white, and 17% as American Indian/Alaska Native. Evaluations reported that 86% of the audience were engaged, 94% that their knowledge was increased, and 69% indicated that their knowledge is applicable. Eighty-seven (87) percent thought the research topics discussed benefits their community and 83% preferred to receive cancer education materials via email. The collected evaluations indicate the audience’s top three priorities from the cancer center include: cancer prevention, education, and patient care.

Discussion: Based on collected data, offering multicultural and multilingual outreach efforts virtually has allowed the COE team to continuously operate as an educational resource serving our diverse communities. Interacting and inviting members from Arizona’s Hispanic and American Indian communities, along with health professionals, has made the Cancer Center more relative to the population it serves as well as allowing Arizona residents to hear from their own community. Overtime, in-person efforts will resume with the inclusion of virtual engagement to have a well-rounded approach.

Citation Format: Monica Yellowhair, Desiree Jones, Gabriela Ruiz, Octavio Castanos, Rene D. Herrera, Juan Contreras, David O. Garcia, Jennifer Hatcher. Development of virtual outreach strategies to supply cancer education and prevention information during the COVID-19 pandemic [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 434.