Abstract D016: Colorectal cancer education among ethnic minority populations

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although the disease is primarily found among older adults, racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by CRC. Most CRC deaths can be prevented through early screening; yet, in most states, less than 20% of racial and ethnic minorities report having had a blood stool test within the past year. The Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities (CRCHD) launched the Screen to Save (S2S): NCI Colorectal Cancer Outreach and Screening Initiative to increase CRC screening rates among racially and ethnically diverse and rural communities across the nation. City of Hope community health educators (CHEs) worked with community, clinical, and academic partners to conduct CRC educational workshops (via PowerPoint/Flipchart) and outreach activities, and promoted screening tools, such as FIT kits, among racially and ethnically diverse populations. We administered NCI developed pre/post surveys that assessed any changes in CRC knowledge and intention to screen. A total of 134 persons received the S2S education. Most (66%) were age 50 or older; 84% were female; and 62% self-reported as Hispanics/Latinos; 14% African-American. Most (52%) preferred Spanish, 44% had less than a high school education, and 17% of had no insurance. Most (79%) of participants age 50 or older have been previously screened for colorectal cancer. Results show statistically significant increases in knowledge about colon cancer risk and prevention practices with all groups showing an increase in scores across the two time periods (Z=-7.843; p Citation Format: Mayra Serrano, Kimlin Ashing, Alejandro Fernandez, Katty Nerio, Marisela Garcia. Colorectal cancer education among ethnic minority populations [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2019 Sep 20-23; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl_2):Abstract nr D016.