Abstract
Background. Breast cancer is Asian American women's most frequently occurring cancer. Methods. Asian American women completed breast cancer-related baseline surveys for 2 studies 5 years apart. Results. Statistically significant and rapid improvements in knowledge and screening practices were seen between the 948 participants in the first study (1995) and the 1540 participants in the second study. This increase paralleled the reported climb in early detection rates among Asian American women. Conclusions. The data document the achievement of a tipping point in breast cancer screening rates with culturally and linguistically focused education programs and increased access to screening among disadvantaged women.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The preliminary data on which this article is based were presented in the poster session at the 2007 annual scientific meeting of the American Association for Cancer Education in Birmingham, Alabama. This project was funded by a series of grants. The primary funding for this project was from the San Diego Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the California Breast Cancer Early Detection Program. Additional funding was provided by the National Cancer Institute's R25-CA65745, the Cancer Center core grant 5 P30 CA023100, and the Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership Program grants U56 CA92079 and U56 CA92081 as well as the National Institutes of Health's Division of National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities EXPORT grant P60MD00220. This article's contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official beliefs of the funding agencies. The authors also wish to thank the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute, and the San Diego Union of Pacific Asian Communities for their guidance and generous contribution of printed educational materials. Dozens of Asian American students volunteered to assist with both of the studies presented in this article. Their dedication to serving their community is to be commended.
Notes
Supported by the San Diego Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the California Breast Cancer Early Detection Program, the National Cancer Institute R25-CA65745, the Cancer Center Core grant 5 P30 CA023100, the Minority Institution/Cancer Center Partnership Program grants U56 CA92079 and U56 CA92081, and the National Institutes of Health's Division of National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities EXPORT grant P60MD00220.