Technical Objectives: The primary objective of this study is to determine if intervention strategies designed especially for rural health care professionals will increase significantly (p <.05) the adoption, maintenance, and quality of breast cancer screening for rural minority women. More specifically, in relation to controls, we hope to demonstrate that the providers who receive training in the experimental group will exhibit: 1) greater increases in rural health care providers' knowledge concerning screening guidelines for the early detection of breast cancer; 2) more positive attitudes of rural health care providers towards the use of these methods; and 3) improvement in the frequency of the use of recommended breast cancer screening. Focusing on rural health care professionals in the Mississippi River Delta region of Eastern Arkansas, the proposed research utilizes a multimethod approach specifically designed to increase breast cancer screening among a population of low income, undereducated, African American women. Using a randomized control pre-test/post- test design,all primary care physicians, nurses in out-patient settings, and mammography technicians in one of two groups (427 in the South Delta counties or 534 in the North Delta counties) will receive the interventions. The impact of the interventions will be evaluated through surveys on breast cancer screening knowledge, practices and attitudes, clinical breast exam proficiency and BSE teaching ability assessments, number of mammography referrals and number of mammograms obtained, and qualitative evaluation of mammography.
| Coleman, Elizabeth Ann; Lord, Janet; Heard, Jeanne et al. (2003) The Delta project: increasing breast cancer screening among rural minority and older women by targeting rural healthcare providers. Oncol Nurs Forum 30:669-77 |
| Mohrmann, C C; Coleman, E A; Coon, S K et al. (2000) An analysis of printed breast cancer information for African American women. J Cancer Educ 15:23-7 |
