Pilot Project

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Prolonged exposure to cancer-related distress, can result in diminished physical and mental quality of life, as well as, physiological dysregulation of factors implicated in disease risk and as biomarkers of survivorship. Although social support programs have been shown to alleviate distress among cancer survivors, the availability and uptake of cancer survivor support resources by Hispanics are limited. As the risk for many cancers increases among Hispanics with years of U.S. residence and generational acculturation, and the population of U.S. Hispanics grows to a projected 25% ofthe U.S. population by 2050, so does the need to address the disparity in social support resources for Hispanic cancer sun/ivors. To address this, this pilot study proposes development of a culturally-appropriate Spanish language program for Hispanic cancer survivors. Thirty Hispanic men (n=15) and women (n=15), that are current residents ofthe Yakima Valley, and have completed primary treatment for any cancer will be eligible to participate. The study will be conducted in two stages. The first stage will utilize qualitative methods to probe needs, concerns, and beliefs of 16 (men=8, women=8) cancer sun/ivors living in a rural community. The goal will be to, togetherwith factors identified in the literature, contribute to the development of a culturally-appropriate support resource that will provide informational and socio-emotional support to Hispanic sun/ivors. During the second stage, a semi-structured Spanish-language support program will be develop and a preliminary evaluation of the program will be conducted using quantiative and qualitative methods. The program sessions will be led by a promotora, lay health worker, that have undergone training in conducting social support groups, cancer 101, and have extensive experience providing cancer education in the community. Outcome measures will include use of Spanish-language versions of the Emotional Distress Scale, Brief COPE, brief acculturation scale, FACIT-G, salivary Cortisol and c-reactive protein.