? Hispanics are among the fastest growing population in the United States (US). Data indicate that Hispanics are underserved and less likely to take advantage of cancer prevention activities than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Major concerns related to such under use are low socioeconomic status, lack of insurance, cultural values and norms, treatment options, and knowledge and beliefs concerning cancer. Further, the Hispanic population as a whole has few mentors and researchers of Hispanic ethnicity to provide culturally appropriate role models for Hispanics to enter cancer research fields. The overall goal of this proposed five year project is to work with community partners to reduce the cancer health disparities experienced by many Hispanics in a rural area. We propose to build a Network, or infrastructure of community partners in the Yakima Valley. With the partners we will promote cancer awareness and education in the Valley, establish a system to recruit minority students to work on cancer prevention projects, develop pilot research projects to address specific cancer disparities in the Valley, develop community research projects to increase cancer education among Hispanics, evaluate the success of the research projects, evaluate the intermediate effects of reducing cancer disparities, and sustain the Network by applying for at least one full-scale trial. Each of the specific aims is targeted to occur in the three required phases of research. Phase 1, mobilizing the community, will occur in the first year of the project and will continue throughout the remaining years as new partners join the collaboration and new tasks are selected for intervention. We expect Phase 2, awareness and education activities, training activities, and pilot research projects to continue from years 02 through 05. The last phase, Phase 3 will occur in Year 05 as we attempt to obtain independent funding to continue the work in the Valley. An External Advisory Group will provide external feedback to the Network and Steering Committee of Network members will make decisions about the research, awareness, and education activities to be done. Our Appendices summarize our intervention plans, our research plans, and our pilot study ? ?
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