Dissemination is an important, but neglected component of the research process. Currently, efforts focus on disseminating interventions that have been developed and evaluated through randomized trials;however, mechanisms are also needed to disseminate the results from research to the lay public. The AHRQ uses a structured process to prepare comparative effective reviews (CER) of conditions. Although these reviews are developed for consumers, they are likely to have limited reach, especially among individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups, because the dissemination methods are not culturally sensitive and the content is not targeted to specific populations. Our group has considerable experience developing targeted information about breast cancer for African American women and using culturally sensitive dissemination strategies to reach this population. Therefore, in response to RFA-HS-10-004: Innovative Adaptation and Dissemination of AHRQ Comparative Effectiveness Reviews, we propose to apply this expertise to develop and evaluate a community-based approach for disseminating CERs about breast cancer prevention to African American women.
The specific aims of the proposed research are: (1) to evaluate uptake of a community-based approach for disseminating CERs about breast cancer prevention to African American women based on sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs about medical research, and clinical variables and (2) to evaluate the impact of evidential (E) versus non-evidential (NE) content about breast cancer prevention on psychological and behavioral outcomes that include: knowledge about breast cancer and prevention options, communication with individuals in their social and medical network, and distrust of medical research. We will also determine the extent to which our dissemination efforts reach a sample that is demographically representative of African American women in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. This study will be implemented in two Phases and identify variables that mediate the relationship by E and NE content and changes in psychological and behavioral outcomes. In Phase I, we will use qualitative methods to adapt an existing CER on medications for breast cancer prevention to increase its relevancy for African American women. In Phase II, we will evaluate the uptake of a community-based dissemination forum and compare the effects of E and NE content on knowledge, communication about prevention, and distrust of medical research in a sample of 200 African American women.

Public Health Relevance

Despite overall improvements, African American women continue to experience excess rates of morbidity and mortality from breast cancer compared to women from ethnic and racial groups. Lack of awareness about behavioral and medical strategies for breast cancer prevention contributes to poorer outcomes among African American women. Our research will develop and evaluate a novel, community-based strategy for disseminating information about breast cancer prevention options to women at risk for poorer outcomes.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
Type
Research Demonstration and Dissemination Projects (R18)
Project #
1R18HS019339-01
Application #
8009225
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHS1-HSR-C (02))
Program Officer
Cravens, Catherine
Project Start
2010-09-01
Project End
2011-12-31
Budget Start
2010-09-01
Budget End
2011-12-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2010
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Pennsylvania
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
042250712
City
Philadelphia
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
19104
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Rice, LaShanta J; Hughes, Brenda; Briggs, Vanessa et al. (2016) Perceived Efficacy and Control for Neighborhood Change: the Cross-Cutting Role of Collective Efficacy. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities 3:667-675
Melvin, Cathy L; Saef, Steven H; Pierce, Holly O et al. (2016) Health Information Exchange in the ED: What Do ED Clinicians Think? South Med J 109:419-26
Halbert, Chanita Hughes; Briggs, Vanessa; Bowman, Marjorie et al. (2014) Acceptance of a community-based navigator program for cancer control among urban African Americans. Health Educ Res 29:97-108
Halbert, Chanita Hughes; Bellamy, Scarlett; Briggs, Vanessa et al. (2014) Intervention completion rates among African Americans in a randomized effectiveness trial for diet and physical activity changes. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 23:1306-13
Halbert, Chanita Hughes; Bellamy, Scarlett; Briggs, Vanessa et al. (2014) Collective efficacy and obesity-related health behaviors in a community sample of African Americans. J Community Health 39:124-31