Significant socioeconomic and racial cancer disparities are evident in the South Dallas/Fair Park area, a low socioeconomic, largely minority population in Dallas, Texas, with a cancer mortality rate approximately 1.5 times greater than that of Dallas County as a whole. Community-based participatory research (CBPR), a collaborative research approach that combines community needs assessment with community capacity-building strategies, is one method that has been successfully used for cancer-control research. The Trans-HHS Cancer Health Disparities Progress Review Group suggests that CBPR may be an ideal way to tackle cancer disparities in underserved populations, such as that of South Dallas. The objective of this study is to implement an effective CBPR approach to reduce the presence of cancer and cancer-related health behavior in this population.
The specific aims of this study are: (1) to work collaboratively with the community to identify priority cancer disparities based on the results of a community diagnosis that explores behavioral, cultural, dietary, socioeconomic, and political determinants of these disparities and the strengths and assets of the South Dallas/Fair Park area to mitigate these factors;and (2) to develop innovative community-based intervention approaches to reduce and eliminate cancer disparities in the South Dallas/Fair Park area. Investigators and community members will create an advisory board to initiate dialogue regarding cancer disparities. The results of a recently conducted South Dallas Needs Assessment will be discussed in focus groups to identify factors contributing to cancer disparities in the community. Investigators will analyze the data from the needs assessment and focus groups and disseminate the results to the community. The advisory board will design an appropriate intervention, and the intervention will be pilot tested in the Frazier Courts area. The outcomes and processes of the intervention as well as the CBPR processes will be evaluated. This project is expected to contribute to the reduction of cancer in the South Dallas/Fair Park area by educating residents about the level of cancer and disparities in the community;identifying determinants of cancer in the community;and implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention. Furthermore, this project will support the National Cancer Institute's commitment to eliminate cancer disparities.
Cancer disparities are a major public health concern, as seen by the National Cancer Institute's commitment to eliminate cancer disparities. The goal of the Dallas Cancer Disparities Research Coalition is to reduce the presence of cancer in the South Dallas/Fair Park area by educating residents about the level of cancer and cancer disparities in their community, by identifying determinants of cancer in the community, and by implementing and evaluating the effectiveness of the collaborative intervention. This project will empower the community in the cancer battle by involving them in every step of the research process, thus making the community members more likely to participate and succeed in the recommended cancer-control strategies.
| Hinson-Enslin, Amanda; Cardarelli, Roberto; Cardarelli, Kathryn M (2012) Clinical service characteristics and initiation of the human papillomavirus vaccination series in an academic clinic setting. Tex Med 108:e1 |
| Cardarelli, Kathryn; Jackson, Rachael; Martin, Marcus et al. (2011) Community-based participatory approach to reduce breast cancer disparities in south Dallas. Prog Community Health Partnersh 5:375-85 |
