Outreach Core

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Background: Use of existing cancer prevention strategies could have prevented over half of the roughly 1.7 million new cases of cancer expected in the US in 2019. It is critical to intervene with adolescents and young adults (AYAs) around key behaviors, including avoiding alcohol and tobacco use, maintaining healthy weight, and receiving the human papillomavirus vaccine given a) their potential to shift cancer trajectories and b) the establishment of these behaviors during AYA developmental stages. However, AYAs are not engaging in these behaviors at desired levels. For racial and ethnic minorities and low-income individuals, periods of adolescence (ages 10-19) and emerging adulthood (ages 20-25) are often marked by inconsistent healthcare access and structural factors that place them at greater risk for cancer. Goal: The Outreach Core connects implementation science, outreach, and community engagement to address two key divides that hinder cancer prevention among underserved AYAs: (1) the research-practice divide, which limits the impact of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for underserved communities and (2) the cancer workforce divide, in which the communities most impacted by cancer inequities are least represented in the cancer research workforce. To address these divides, we will use participatory approaches to conduct the project in collaboration with a Community Advisory Board, thus increasing the impact and relevance of proposed solutions. Methods: The study is organized around four aims. With Aim 1, we will build on the existing board, which includes representatives from the Black and Brazilian communities of Greater Boston and the Latino community of Greater Lawrence, MA (communities experiencing cancer inequities) and add AYAs and experts in AYA health and youth-engaged research. With Aim 2, we will support community organizations to adapt and deliver EBIs focusing on alcohol and tobacco use, maintaining healthy weight, and HPV vaccination among underserved AYAs. With Aim 3, we will train the next generation of Black, Latino, Brazilian, and Native scholars in the theory and practice of community-engaged research and community-centered interventions. With Aim 4, we will co-create products and services with the Community Advisory Board to disseminate findings and integrate community and equity considerations into Partnership activities. Innovations and impact: We link outreach, engagement, and implementation science to develop a platform to shape research conducted at UMB and the seven partner institutions of the DF/HCC, serving as a model infrastructure for cancer prevention and control in partnership with populations experiencing cancer inequities.