Description: Native Americans have the poorest cancer survival rates of any racial or ethnic group in the United States. This study will focus on understanding who among Connecticut's Native Americans needs, seeks, and obtains cancer-related information. The results of this study will help the Cancer Information Service (CIS) to improve its service to Native Americans who currently underutilize the 1-800-4-CANCER phone service and Live Help web site (https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/livehelp/welcome.asp), and to provide baseline data about health care providers' awareness and use of CIS. Additionally, we will investigate how members of this at- risk population share information within families and their communities. Finally, this exploratory study will examine how cancer information needs and behaviors of these Native American communities may provide formative data on which interventions will be developed, tested, and disseminated within the CIS network. In our collaborative efforts with CIS of New England, the information learned in this proposed study will be used to develop a culturally appropriate curriculum on cancer information dissemination among Native Americans in Connecticut. Education materials and associated research methods will be developed so they can be replicated and validated for use among other Native urban and tribal communities in Connecticut, the Northeast, and throughout the United States. The information learned as a result of this study will be used in the development of an R01 grant application to test the developed curriculum with a larger segment of the Northeastern Native American population. Relevance to Public Health: This proposed project will enhance the abilities of cancer advocates, researchers, health professionals, and policy makers alike to understand and assist the cancer education needs of Connecticut Native Americans. This community based research project should also increase utilization of CIS services by Connecticut Native Americans. Results will provide the foundation for Public Health educators throughout the nation to relocate and evaluate education materials and associated methodologies. ? ? ?
| Canales, Mary K; Weiner, Diane; Samos, Markos et al. (2011) Multi-generational perspectives on health, cancer, and biomedicine: Northeastern Native American perspectives shaped by mistrust. J Health Care Poor Underserved 22:894-911 |
| Bowen, Deborah J; Kreuter, Matthew; Spring, Bonnie et al. (2009) How we design feasibility studies. Am J Prev Med 36:452-7 |
