South Asian Women with Breast Cancer: What are Their Needs?
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: [This abstract describes an intended research project. Beginning, July 1, 2004, the team will utilize a small planning grant to gather necessary preliminary data, and strengthen the research plan and the scientific and community collaborations, in order to submit a CRC Pilot application in early Spring, 2005. Funding for this research depends on the success of that competitive application.]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Increasing numbers of South Asian women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year; however, no previous studies have assessed the psychological, social and practical needs of this growing population. Consequently, few culturally appropriate and in-language services are available to assist them. South Asians are the third largest Asian group in the US and California has the largest population of South Asians of any state. Previous research has demonstrated that one size does not fit all when it comes to approaching ethnic minority communities. Given the diversity of this population it is likely that they have unique needs and would benefit from a specifically tailored intervention. This pilot study aims to assess the needs of South Asian women with breast cancer and outline the essential components of an intervention to meet these needs. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 A needs assessment study is usually not designed for hypothesis testing, but rather for discovery of relationships and for hypothesis generation. However, we anticipate that the data collected during this pilot project will help to answer the following research questions: 
 
 1. What are the needs of South Asian women with breast cancer?
 
 2. What are the most effective and culturally appropriate means of reaching South Asian women diagnosed with breast cancer and assisting them at the time of diagnosis 
 
 through survivorship? 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We will recruit 50 South Asian women, diagnosed with breast cancer within the past 5 years, from four of the largest South Asian groups in Los Angeles (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi) to participate in individual interviews. Individual interviews will be conducted by trained bilingual interviewers in each subject’s native language. Interviews will focus primarily on assessing psychological, social and practical needs (such as health care access &amp; transportation) throughout the cancer trajectory from diagnosis through survivorship. Ten key informant interviews will be conducted with physicians and community leaders serving South Asian women to get their input. Content and descriptive analyses will be used to gain an initial understanding of the sample’s needs. Data will be used to outline the essential elements of an intervention (including the content and format) that will be refined and evaluated during a second study, potentially through a CRC Full Award.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This study will provide valuable information about a population who has been infrequently included in previous breast cancer research, South Asian women with breast cancer. Given that no information is available to document their specific needs; few culturally appropriate and in-language services have been developed. Through the Saath: South Asian Cancer Foundation-UCLA collaboration this study will provide the information necessary to outline an intervention to meet the needs of South Asian women with breast cancer and build the infrastructure to implement and evaluate this intervention in a future study. Although initial research efforts involving ethnic minority groups are most successful when tailored to the target ethnic group, results from studies such as this pilot project are relevant to the broader population of women affected by breast cancer.