Abstract B23: Evaluating an intervention to improve perceptions of cancer clinical trials among minority communities in South Carolina

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Cancer mortality rates for African Americans in South Carolina are among the highest in the nation. However, African Americans are less likely than other groups to participate in cancer clinical trials. Results of previous investigations have shown that their low participation rates are related to negative perceptions of trials. We conducted a community based cancer clinical trials education intervention to improve perceptions of cancer clinical trials in this population. Methods: The study was conducted at eight different sites in six counties in South Carolina. The intervention consisted of a 30-minute cancer clinical trials educational presentation developed by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute. The intervention was part of a larger 3.5-hour education program aimed at increasing general cancer knowledge, prostate cancer knowledge, and perceived self efficacy in patient-physician interaction among minority populations in South Carolina. Study participants were recruited by community partners in each locale where the training sessions were conducted. A pre- and post-intervention survey was administered immediately before and after the intervention was delivered at each site. The survey instrument included seven items. Sample items include the following: Do you think that patients should be asked to take part in medical research? Would you be prepared to take part in a study comparing different treatments? Would you be prepared to take part in a study where treatment was chosen at random? Results: The study sample consisted of 164 predominantly African American participants. One-hundred and twenty-five (78.6%) of the 159 participants who provided data on race were African American, 19 (12.0%) were Caucasian and 15 (9.4%) were Native American. The majority of the 160 participants who provided data on age were ages 50+ years (62.5%). The majority of the 154 participants who reported their income had an annual household income > = $40,000 (53.8%). For each of the seven survey items assessing perceptions of cancer clinical trials, 74%, 69%, 56%, 49%, 61%, 50% and 58% of the participants, respectively, changed to more favorable responses on the post-test vs. pre-test. All results were statistically significant at the p<0.001 level. Conclusions: Providing cancer clinical trials information to African American community members positively influenced their trial perceptions. Future research could incorporate a longer follow-up assessment period. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B23.