Abstract C056: Application of precision public health approaches to maximize limited resources for community-based liver cancer prevention educational sessions

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: To address the growing liver cancer burden in the city of Philadelphia and support precision public health, we utilized existing data resources from our community health partners and the PA Department of Public Health to conduct a geospatial analysis that identified communities at the census tract level with both a higher than expected rate of liver cancer and a strong community partner presence to target for liver cancer prevention education. Methods: Pennsylvania(PA) Liver Cancer Registry data from 2007-2014 were linked to the address location of community partners associated with the Fox Chase Cancer Center at the census tract (CT) level using ArcGIS software. Space-time scan statistics (SatScan software) identified CTs with significantly elevated rates of incident liver cancer (p-value<0.05), adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, diagnosis year. Point locations of community partners were plotted against liver cancer cluster maps to identify existing community partners in those areas where liver cancer rates were higher than expected in Philadelphia. The Office of Community Outreach (OCO) worked with community partners in high risk areas to deliver bilingual (English-Spanish) liver cancer education sessions. Plain language materials were then developed by the OCO to support the program. Pre-post tests were administered utilizing automatic response system to assess the impact and utility of the educational sessions and the likelihood to change behavior. Results: Of the 386 census tracts in Philadelphia, 153 were found to have higher than expected rates of liver cancer. 15 of 65 existing community partners were located in a high risk census tract. OCO staff have embarked on an educational outreach initiative, working with the identified community partners, offering bilingual education. Preliminary results from pre-post surveys will be analyzed and presented. Conclusions: Coupling disease cluster and community partner data improves the identification of areas with a liver cancer burden and reduces intervention targets. These methods could be utilized in other cancer control settings to maximize limited resources and prioritize cancer prevention efforts. Citation Format: Evelyn T Gonzalez, Min Nguyen, Shannon Lynch. Application of precision public health approaches to maximize limited resources for community-based liver cancer prevention educational sessions [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr C056.