Abstract 2527: Impact of community-based breast cancer education intervention in New York State Capital Region.

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: We conducted a community-based education intervention among targeted understudied groups in the New York State Capital Region to assess baseline knowledge of breast cancer and determine the effectiveness of newly developed educational tools in improving knowledge. Methods: We recruited 417 students from five participating colleges/universities and 67 women from four community group organizations. Educational intervention involved about an hour-long lecture on breast cancer using Microsoft PowerPoint® presentations tailored to each of the two participating groups of colleges/universities and community group organizations. Baseline and post-education knowledge was assessed via self-administered questionnaires. In addition to multiple choice questions, pre- and post-education questionnaires designed for college/university students also contained an open-ended question soliciting their suggestions for public health preventive actions against breast cancer. The effectiveness of our education intervention in improving breast cancer knowledge was estimated using a paired t-test. Descriptive and qualitative analyses of demographic variables and answers to the open-ended questions were also conducted. Results: Our analyses revealed a statistically significant improvement (P<0.0001) in mean percentage of correct answers among both participating groups of college/university students (from 39.9% at baseline to 80.8% post-education) and community group members (from 43.5% at baseline to 77.8% post-education). The effectiveness remained statistically significant in stratified analyses (by demographic variables as well as by other variables such as being or knowing a breast cancer survivor or having attended a breast cancer lecture or seminar in the past). Analysis of the answers to the open-ended questions revealed a shift in the attitudes of college/university students, brought about by our education intervention, regarding preventive efforts. While secondary prevention was the major theme pre-education (mentioned by ∼51% of respondents), primary prevention emerged as the major theme post-education (mentioned by ∼80% of respondents). Conclusions: This community-based education intervention was motivated by lack of a readily available breast cancer educational tool as well as lack of information about baseline knowledge of breast cancer among communities in the New York State Capital Region. Our findings of low levels of both baseline knowledge and prior attendance in a breast cancer lecture/seminar by participants in our study underscore the importance of education interventions. Our community-based education intervention was effective in increasing knowledge about breast cancer among college students and community group members in upstate New York. Our findings provide leads for public health prevention strategies. Citation Format: Nur Zeinomar, Roxana Moslehi. Impact of community-based breast cancer education intervention in New York State Capital Region. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2527. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2527