The long-term goal of this study is to develop an effective education intervention that increases screening adherence to colorectal cancer screening guidelines and reduces the rates of late-stage detection and preventable mortality among medically underserved Latinos.
The specific aims of this study are to: (1) develop culturally and linguistically appropriate colorectal cancer screening and risk reduction information designed for low- income, low literacy Latinos, (2) develop digital multimedia touchscreen kiosks to deliver interactive colorectal cancer screening and risk reduction information to low-income, low literacy Latinos, (3) evaluate the efficacy of an interactive, multimedia kiosk intervention to increase knowledge about colorectal cancer risk and promote screening and other risk reduction behaviors among low-income, low literacy Latinos, and (4) evaluate the acceptance of the interactive, multimedia kiosk by clinical providers and low-income, low literacy Latinos receiving the intervention. The HHS Initiative to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities calls attention to the gaps in access to preventive health services for low-income, medically underserved individuals. This study to develop and evaluate a colorectal cancer screening promotion intervention for medically underserved Latinos responds to the National Cancer Institute's program on Interactive Media Technologies in Cancer Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control to promote the use of innovative media technology and/or communication approaches in cancer prevention and control applications used in medical and community settings. The intervention study employs a randomized controlled design. Study participants will be given a pretest and randomly assigned to either an intervention or control condition in equal numbers. The intervention group will be exposed to an interactive, multimedia colorectal cancer education intervention while the control group will receive standard care, which means they will not receive any CRC education materials. Six-months from baseline, a post-test will be administered to both intervention and control groups.
The study addresses the health disparity of preventable colorectal cancer mortality among Latinos due to low screening rates and correspondingly high rates of late-stage detection. If the efficacy of this education intervention to improve screening adherence is demonstrated in this study, interactive kiosks offer the means for deployment of an intervention on a national scale to significantly impact colorectal cancer screening rates and thereby reduce mortality.
