The Urban Cancer Project
A Culturally-Specific Solution to Race and Ethnic Cancer Disparities
Wornie Reed, Ph.D.
The Urban Cancer Project is a video-based approach to addressing
African American and Hispanic cancer disparities. It was developed
through collaboration with a video-production company, Public
Health Television, Inc., and the Comprehensive Cancer Center at
Case Western Reserve University.
Methods
We conducted 44 focus group sessions with residents
of Cleveland 's public housing community to better understand barriers
that discourage low-income African Americans from getting screened
for cancer, adhering to treatment, or participating in clinical trials.
Transcripts of these sessions were analyzed to produce culturally
relevant video messages, which then aired on local television.
With this approach we also produced a video for cultural competence
training of physicians who treat cancer, and another video for African
American patients, their families and community to help them better
understand the importance of cancer research and participation in
clinical trials.
Results
Each set of videos was tested and shown to be effective in
influencing behavior as well as attitudes. We won two Regional
Emmys for the television messages, which increased requests for
screening at selected neighborhood health centers. We also won
a second place National Headliners Award for public service
television programming. The clinical trials video had positive effects
in the quasi-experimental field test and in an experimental clinical
test. In a test of adults over 40 who were not cancer patients there
was a 19.3 percentage point increase in persons expressing
willingness to participate in a clinical trial if they heard a physician
and saw the video versus a 4.1 percentage point increase among
those who only heard the physician talk about clinical trials. In the
clinical trials test among cancer patients, more than 50 percent of the
patients seeing the video said that it helped them in deciding to
participate in a clinical trial. Eighty (80) percent of cancer physicians
seeing the cultural competence video indicated that it contained
information helpful or very helpful to their practice.
Implications
Cultural orientations are inhibitors to the patient-
physician encounter, and they can be reduced with this approach.
We are currently developing the same approach with Hispanics.
Wornie Reed
VIDEO CLIPS
Contact Information
Wornie Reed, Director
Janet McGuire
Principal Secretary
1115 Volunteer Boulevard
1206 McClung Tower & Plaza
Knoxville, TN 37996-0412
Phone: 865-974-5052
Fax: 865-974-8669
Email: jmcguire@utk.edu