A randomized controlled trial of interventions to promote cervical cancer screening among Chinese women in North America

Breast and cervical cancer screening practices and inventions among Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese Americans

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To review research on breast and cervical cancer screening practices among Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese Americans.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Of the 28 studies reviewed, 19 (68%) were descriptive and 9 (32%) were interventions. Instruments were developed or translated into the native language. Inconsistent operational definitions for positive facilitators and negative barriers made comparisons across studies difficult.

CONCLUSIONS

Research about breast and cervical cancer screening is limited in these groups. All of the studies reviewed indicated low adherence to cancer screening guidelines. Some interventions showed promising results. Poor awareness about cancer was reported; positive facilitators and negative barriers were identified.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

The rapidly increasing number of Asian Americans in the United States underscores the need for further research in this area. Future studies should focus on each population as a disaggregated subgroup. Cancer control interventions should be culturally competent.

Stage of adoption and impact of direct-mail communications with and without phone intervention on Chinese women's cervical smear screening behavior

BACKGROUND

The purposes of the study were to (1) assess the impact of direct-mail communications with and without phone intervention, and (2) examine the characteristics of women who were more likely to respond.

METHODS

Women were recruited from female family members of inpatients admitted to one of the major teaching hospitals in Taiwan (n = 424), and were randomly assigned into an intervention group, who received direct-mails and a phone follow-up, or a control group, who received placebo messages.

RESULTS

Logistic regression analysis showed that women in the intervention group (ORadj. = 2.31) and contemplation stage (ORadj. = 4.18) were more likely to receive a screening at the end of the program. Among women in the intervention group, contemplators were 5.58 times more likely to receive a screening before the phone intervention (early adopters); and 40% of the screening adopters responded after the phone intervention (late adopters). Late and early adopters were similar in their stage, age, and education.

CONCLUSIONS

Stage and intervention are both significant predictors of screening adoption. The study provides justification for programs to target women in contemplation stage. It also suggests that the boost of a later phone intervention may be consequential for encouraging more women with similar demographics to take action.

The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training's role in cancer awareness, research and training

PURPOSE

The purpose of this paper is to describe the content for the Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness Research and Training (AANCART) with respect to Asian American demographic characteristics and their cancer burden, highlights of accomplishments in various AANCART regions, aspirations for AANCART, and an interim assessment of AANCART's activities to date.

METHODS

The author compiled literature and other data references to describe the context for Asian American demographic characteristics and their cancer burden. As the AANCART Principal Investigator, he collected data from internal AANCART reports to depict highlights of accomplishments in various AANCART regions and offer evidence that AANCART's first two specific aims have been attained.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

With respect to our first specific aim, we have built an infrastructure for cancer awareness, research and training operationally at a Network-wide basis through program directors for biostatistics, community, clinical, and research and in our four original AANCART regions: New York, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. With respect to our second specific aim, we have established partnerships as exemplified by working collaboratively with New York's Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in securing external funding with them for a tobacco control initiative and nationally with the American Cancer Society. With respect to our third specific aim, we have been fortunate to assist at least eight junior investigators in receiving NCI-funded pilot studies. The most notable change was the transfer of AANCART's national headquarters from Columbus, Ohio to Sacramento, California along with potentially an increased diversification of Asian American ethnic groups as well as an expansion to Hawaii and Houston.

CONCLUSION

As of the end of year 2 of AANCART, AANCART's two specific aims have been achieved. We are focusing on our third specific aim.

Lessons learned from community-based cancer screening intervention research

Behaviors associated with cancer screening have been the focus of intensive research over the past 2 decades, primarily in the form of intervention trials to improve screening based in both clinical and community settings. Meta-analyses and literature reviews have synthesized and organized the resulting literature. From the accumulated work, this review distilled lessons learned from cancer screening intervention research in community settings. The authors posed the question, "What do we know about the development of effective community-based interventions (the level of good over harm achieved in real-world conditions)?" Framed around the concept of focal points (the simultaneous combination of target population, behavioral objective, and setting for an intervention), 13 lessons were derived. One lesson was cross-cutting, and the other lessons addressed the three focal-point components and the major intervention categories (access-enhancing strategies, mass media, small media, one-on-one and small-group education, and combinations of these categories). To build more systematically on existing research, recommendations are made for new directions in basic behavioral and intervention research.

Community-based cancer screening programs in older populations: making progress but can we do better?

BACKGROUND

Older individuals have higher rates of most types of cancer. Community-based cancer screening programs offer one avenue for addressing the need to prevent or detect cancers in early stages in this population. Identifying characteristics of successful interventions can assist researchers in the development of future studies.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature review of community-based cancer screening interventions was undertaken and 114 behavioral interventions for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening published prior to 2000 and 42 studies published during 2000-2003 were identified. From these, 17 studies were identified as model interventions that were effective in significantly increasing screening rates among older populations.

RESULTS

Effective interventions employed a variety of strategies including the use of social networks and lay health care workers, mass media, community-based education, reminder notices/behavioral cues, and health care provider assistance.

CONCLUSION

Although subgroups of individuals still have lower rates of screening, the results indicate that older populations can be encouraged to engage in appropriate cancer screening behaviors through community-based interventions. The next round of interventions could be strengthened by evaluating intervention components, integrating theory and community participation into designs, focusing on those most at need, and considering program sustainability and costs.

'Honoring tradition, accepting new ways': development of a hepatitis B control intervention for Vietnamese immigrants

BACKGROUND

Chronic hepatitis B infection rates among Vietnamese-American adults range from 7 to 14%. Carriers of HBV are over 200 times more likely to develop liver cancer than non-carriers, and Vietnamese males have the highest liver cancer incidence rate of any ethnic group in the USA (41.8 per 100,000). Culturally and linguistically appropriate interventions are necessary to increase hepatitis B knowledge, serologic testing, and vaccination rates among Vietnamese immigrants.

METHODS

The authors engaged in qualitative data collection to inform the development of intervention materials including a video, pamphlet, and barrier-specific counseling guidelines. Bilingual research assistants conducted 25 open-ended qualitative interviews and six focus groups focusing on hepatitis B and liver cancer with a convenience sample of Vietnamese-American men and women living in the Seattle area.

RESULTS

Qualitative findings include beliefs about liver illness and health influenced by traditional Vietnamese and traditional Chinese medicine theory; beliefs about hepatitis B transmission and causes embedded in personal experiences and socio-historical circumstances; and the value of health and a positive attitude. The video portrays a Vietnamese immigrant family struggling with the new knowledge that their healthy-appearing son is a hepatitis B carrier. Print materials address knowledge resources and misconceptions about hepatitis B revealed in the qualitative data.

DISCUSSION

Qualitative research provides valuable insight into unanticipated issues influencing health beliefs and behaviors relevant to specific populations and is essential to the development of effective health education materials, which necessarily draw upon local social and cultural contexts. The methods used in this study to develop culturally informed hepatitis B intervention materials for Vietnamese-Americans translate well for the development of education outreach programs targeting Vietnamese and other immigrants elsewhere.

A Large Population-Based Randomized Controlled Trial to Increase Attendance at Screening for Cervical Cancer

Objective: Although cervical cancer is one of the potentially most preventable malignancies, it is still fairly common. In settings with established screening programs, increased compliance is important for future reduction in cervical cancer incidence, but it is presently unclear how this can be effectively achieved. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial including all 12,240 women invited to organized screening in Sweden. To increase compliance, three successive interventions were tested: (a) modified invitation versus the standard invitation letter, (b) reminder letter to nonattenders after the first intervention versus no reminder letter, and (c) phone reminder to nonattenders after the reminder letter versus no phone reminder. We analyzed the proportion of women attending screening after each intervention and the cumulative proportion after the interventions as well as the cumulative proportions of cytologic abnormalities. Results: The modified invitation did not increase attendance compared with the standard invitation letter [difference 1.3% 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.3 to 2.9]. In contrast, a reminder letter increased the proportion of women attending with 9.2% (95% CI 7.9–10.5) compared with women who did not receive a reminder letter, and a phone reminder increased the proportion of women attending with 31.4% (95% CI 26.9–35.9). Combinations of modified invitation, written reminder, and phone reminder almost doubled attendance within 12 months, and the number of detected cytologic abnormalities was more than tripled. Conclusion: Simple reminders by mail and phone can drastically increase women's participation in Papanicolaou smear screening and increase the number of detected precursor lesions and thereby save lives.

"Good health for new years": development of a cervical cancer control outreach program for Vietnamese immigrants

BACKGROUND

Cervical cancer incidence rates are higher among Vietnamese American women than among any other race/ethnic group in the United States. High rates of cervical cancer are associated with low rates of Papanicolao (Pap) testing adherence.

METHODS

Twenty-five qualitative interviews and 5 focus groups were conducted with Vietnamese women.

RESULTS

Interviews and focus groups revealed unanticipated information about sociocultural influences on women's beliefs about risk factors for cervical cancer. These data were utilized to develop culturally appropriate outreach materials.

CONCLUSIONS

Engaging with the target community enabled the development of culturally appropriate materials addressing cervical cancer risk factors and encouraging Pap testing adherence.

Facilitators and barriers to cervical cancer screening among Chinese Canadian women

BACKGROUND

Chinese Canadian women have higher cervical cancer incidence, and lower Pap testing, rates than the general Canadian population. Predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors associated with ever having a Pap test, and having a recent Pap test within the last 2 years, were assessed in Chinese women in British Columbia using the PRECEDE-PROCEED model.

METHOD

Chinese women (n=512) between the ages of 20 and 79 years and residing in Greater Vancouver were interviewed about Pap testing, health care, traditional health beliefs, acculturation and sociodemographic characteristics. Two analyses were done, comparing women who had ever and never had a Pap test, and comparing women who had and had not received a recent Pap test. Focus groups and qualitative interviews ensured cultural sensitivity in the survey questionnaire.

RESULTS

Seventy-six percent reported ever having a Pap test and 57% reported having a Pap test within the last 2 years. Traditional health beliefs were not associated with ever or recent Pap testing. However, belief that Pap testing prevented cancer and general knowledge about the Pap test were associated with screening. Concern about pain/discomfort with the test, availability of time, culturally sensitive health care services and recommendation for Pap testing by a physician were also associated with screening. Factors differed for ever, and recently, having a Pap test.

INTERPRETATION

Pap testing is less common among Chinese Canadian women. Continuing education about Pap testing is recommended for physicians serving underscreened Chinese women. Culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials are needed for the Chinese community.