Motivating an underserved African American population to seek breast and prostate cancer screening utilizing a coalition of 17 community-based organizations.

Abstract

e16563 Background: African Americans (AAs) suffer a higher mortality rate due to cancer compared to Caucasians for multiple reasons. There is evidence that partnering with trusted community-based organizations can successfully motivate underserved AA populations to seek preventive services. Methods: Student-run clinics are increasingly becoming a usual source of care for the vulnerable underserved populations of Sacramento. The Sacramento Community Cancer Coalition (SCCC) was formed to increase the number of underserved AA individuals in the Sacramento, California area receiving age-appropriate breast and prostate cancer screening. The SCCC uniquely conducts its cancer screening services through student-run clinics affiliated with the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. The first SCCC event on September 26, 2009 was a one-day health fair utilizing one of the student-run free clinics. Marketing efforts targeting AAs were conducted before the health fair. The Coalition hosted a second event on October 23rd, 2010 in collaboration with the same student-run clinic coinciding with its relocation to a different site in Sacramento. Results: We previously reported the percentage of AA individuals who attended the 2009 health fair was higher than the percentage of AA individuals attending the clinic during the 9 months preceding the fair (46% vs. 22% of attendees at each time point, respectively Z=2.5, p. < .05). Our 2010 event demonstrated even greater success at targeting the AA demographic with a 65% AA attendee despite the challenge of conducting the event for the first time at that location. Subsequent normal student-run clinic operations at that same location have failed to attract greater than 26% AA demographic in its first 3 months, demonstrating a higher percentage from its current AA percentage reaching a highly statistically significant margin (Z=3.44, p< .01). Conclusions: The collaborative model was successful in attracting a hard to reach underserved African American population and has been validated in a second health fair event at a location not previously utilized.