POR LA VIDA INTERVENTION MODEL IN CANCER EDUCATION

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The potential for reducing cancer incidence and mortality through prevention and early detection appears to be large.Research is showing the important role of nutrition in preventing cancer. Because many members of the Hispanic community have limited access to health care services and are in need of health promotion services, the Hispanic community is an appropriate target for specialized cancer prevention efforts. In particular, Hispanics of low level of acculturation and low level of formal education are a most important target for education about nutrition cancer control. The Por La Vida intervention model establishes community-based health promotion interventions, utilizing existing social networks and building on contemporary theories of social learning and social support Interventions based on the Por La Vida model have been successful in modifying behaviors relevant to cardiovascular risk and, most recently, breast and cervical cancer prevention. This study is a competing renewal of a project that examines the effectiveness of the Por La Vida intervention in the area of breast cancer education. This proposal will expand the scope of the intervention to nutrition cancer education. An additional goal of this proposal is to familiarize UCSD medical students and residents in the Family Medicine program with the Por La Vida intervention model in cancer education, and to encourage students to develop and complete related research projects. Approximately 36 consejeras will be recruited from the Hispanic community in San Diego and trained to conduct-the educational sessions. Each consejera will then recruit between 10 to 15 peers from the community to participate in the educational program. In addition, each of the program participants will identify two adults in their existing social networks with whom they will share information about cancer prevention. A randomized experimental control study with pretest, posttest, and follow-up has been designed to assess the impact of the educational interventions. Half of the consejeras will be trained and will conduct educational sessions in the Por La Vida nutrition cancer control curriculum. The other half of the consejeras will be trained in the Por La Viia breast and cervical cancer early detection curriculum. We will examine the extent to which the interventions are implemented as planned. Furthermore we will investigate (l) the impact of the intervention on knowledge of nutrition cancer prevention and breast cancer screening on program participants, and (2) the impact of the diffusion of cancer prevention information mediated through program participants to friends and family. Outcome measures will be collected through telephone interviews and review of medical records. In addition, face-to-face interviews will be conducted to collect three-day food records from 15% of the program participants.