Abstract C019: Comparing the effectiveness of different community education approaches on colorectal cancer knowledge
Authors: Baca Lila A. , Aguero Yadira , Solares Angelica , Pankratz Vernon Shane , Mishra Shiraz I. , Kano Miria , Sussman Andrew L. 
Published: December 2023

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality varies greatly among racial/ethnic groups nationally. Community outreach and education are effective strategies to enhance knowledge of CRC and have been shown to increase screening for CRC. The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center implements Screen to Save, a community-based CRC screening initiative through the National Outreach Network Program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions on in-person engagement led to the development and implementation of alternative delivery strategies. Our site continued in-person education as possible, and added Zoom and fully self-paced via QR code options for community member participation. Very little is known regarding the effectiveness of different delivery modes. The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between method of education session delivery and participant CRC knowledge. Methods: Participants were recruited via community organizations, Facebook advertising, and referrals from local stakeholders. Both before and after a standardized health education session, participants completed a survey assessing their knowledge of CRC risk and screening recommendations. Participant demographics were descriptively summarized. Estimates of mean changes, and 95% confidence intervals (CI), were obtained for each content delivery type. Differences in these changes were compared using ANCOVA approaches. Results: There were 239 participants who completed the educational sessions in-person (n=81), via Zoom (n=66), or using the self-paced module (n=92), Groups did not differ significantly in composition for age (p=0.72) or gender (p=0.33), but did differ in race, ethnicity, and education level (p&lt;0. 001). Those who participated in any delivery method improved their knowledge scores by 11.6 (95% CI: 9.9-13.3) percentage points. For in-person, Zoom, and self-paced groups, the improvements were 14.1 (95% CI: 10.6-17.6, p&lt;0.001), 11.5 (95% CI: 9.1-13.8, p&lt;0.001), and 9.4 (95% CI: 6.7-12.1, p&lt;0.001) percentage points, respectively. When comparing pre vs post score differences among session types while adjusting for pre scores, and for baseline differences in race, ethnicity, and education, the differences in improvement for the three different session types were not significantly different (p=0.68). For in-person, Zoom, and self-paced groups adjusted improvements were 9.2 (95% CI: 0.5-17.5), 11.1 (95% CI: 1.9-19.8), and 10.1 (95% CI: 1.5-18.3) percentage points, respectively. Conclusion: Health education sessions delivered in person, via Zoom, and by self-paced online modules are associated with increases in participant knowledge of CRC. As Cancer Centers expand community outreach and engagement to address cancer health disparities in their catchment areas, a better understanding of the relative effectiveness of different delivery strategies is needed. Further research will help to discern population characteristics predictive of different strategies and link these approaches to screening uptake.

Citation Format: Lila A. Baca, Yadira Aguero, Angelica Solares, Vernon Shane Pankratz, Shiraz I. Mishra, Miria Kano, Andrew L. Sussman. Comparing the effectiveness of different community education approaches on colorectal cancer knowledge [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 C019.