Lightning Can Strike Twice: A National Partnership Promoting Breast Health among Women with Disabilities.

Abstract

Women with disabilities are less likely to receive recommended screenings for breast cancer, which is often related to lack of knowledge about screening. Lightning Can Strike Twice was a project aimed at understanding barriers and improving knowledge about breast cancer screening among this population in the National Capital Region. We describe a partnership between national organizations and an academic institution that provided educational workshops and coaching sessions to increase knowledge of breast cancer screening among this population in this region. Twenty-two workshops and 56 coaching sessions were offered from 2017 to 2019. Presession surveys were used to collect data on participant demographics and barriers and postsession evaluations were used to determine improved knowledge and likelihood of scheduling a future screening. A total of 299 women attended the workshops and 56 women were coached over the 2-year project period. Preworkshop surveys assessed demographics and barriers among workshop participants and highlighted the need for education on obtaining a screening. Postworkshop evaluations showed that most participants strongly agreed that their understanding of the benefits of screening had increased and that they were more likely to schedule a screening. The national partners were able to address the lack of knowledge of breast cancer risks and screening among this population and identify future opportunities within the targeted community.