Adapting a Breast Cancer Education Program for South Asians
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: Although “culturally blind” interventions may overlook important needs of specific populations, it is not always feasible or desirable to “start from scratch”. The purpose of this study is to begin with a product that has been developed for one population (deaf women) and adapt it for use with another underserved population (South Asians). 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The study goal is to develop a multi-component breast cancer education program targeted to South Asian women. We intend to adapt the multimedia DVD developed by CBCRP-funded investigator, Dr. Barbara Berman, in collaboration with the Greater Los Angeles Agency on Deafness, Inc. for use with South Asians. In addition, given the feedback from our target population, South Asian survivors will be closely involved in all aspects of the intervention development and ultimately its delivery. The program will be designed for women diagnosed with breast cancer as well as those who are at risk for developing the disease (&gt; 50 yrs).
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The South Asian Cancer Foundation (SAATH) and UCLA have a long-standing successful relationship built on trust, openness, mutual respect, and honesty. These principles will continue to shape our collaboration. The roles and responsibilities of SAATH and UCLA are complementary, although each partner has its own specific strengths. SAATH board members include South Asian breast cancer survivors, breast cancer advocates, physicians and other community leaders. The project will also receive broader community input through a Community Advisory Network comprised of additional South Asian community members representing different religious and cultural backgrounds. Together these members will provide specific input regarding all phases of the study. SAATH’s strong ties to the community will also be used to disseminate study results. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Research Question:
 
 
 
 What are the steps necessary to adapt an existing educational program developed for deaf women for use with South Asians?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We plan to utilize the “Adaptation Guidelines” put forth by the NCI designed program, “Using What Works: Adapting Evidence-Based Programs to Fit Your Needs” to adapt the multimedia DVD originally developed for deaf women for the South Asian population. The initial step proposed by these guidelines is to “determine the needs of your audience and whether this program addresses those needs.” As a project team we elected to adapt Dr. Berman and GLAD’s program because of its unique focus on breast health across the continuum. Thus, we have completed the initial step. The second proposed step is to “review the program and its materials with the intended audience.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Initially we intend to hold a series of in-depth meetings with project investigators, staff (from UCLA and SAATH) and additional South Asian community members. During these preliminary meetings, we will review the detailed scripts and content outlines used by Dr. Berman and colleagues to design their DVD. The goal of these meetings will be to “determine the appropriateness of the content” among South Asian women (Step 2) as well as to “define the extent of adaptation needed and ways to implement the program” (Step 3). The product will be “mock-up” versions of the DVD script and brochures (Step 4). Dr. Berman will be available and will solicit feedback from her research team when appropriate to “ensure that the adapted product maintains the accuracy of the original” (Step 5). The “mock-up” versions will be pilot tested with South Asian survivors and women at-risk for cancer, as recommended in Step 6. We intend to conduct interviews with 10 South Asian breast cancer survivors to obtain feedback. We will utilize small group session to obtain feedback from 10-15 women at-risk for developing the breast cancer (&gt; 50 years, no breast cancer history). As suggested by Step 7 we will “modify or revise the adapted program based on pilot test feedback.” 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Once developed, our goal will be to implement and evaluate the program materials developed in a sample of South Asian women including breast cancer survivors and women at risk for developing breast cancer. If found to be effective and disseminated appropriately, the intervention may ultimately improve early detection, reduce the burden of cancer, and enhance women’s ability to successfully face a breast cancer diagnosis.