Reducing HPV Associated Cancers and Disparities: Engaging African American Men to Develop a Culturally-Appropriate Program that Addresses their Needs

ABSTRACT

Background: The Healthy Men, Health Communities program aims to improve preventive behaviors among African American men to reduce HPV-related cancer disparities.

Purpose: We describe the development of an educational intervention using cultural-targeting strategies (i.e., linguistics, peripherals, evidence, socio-culture, and constituent-involving).

Methods: After building capacity of community-based organization (CBO) leaders as research team members, we conducted 3 focus groups, 30 surveys, and a community review and program evaluation with African American men.

Results: Focus group themes were (1) The Known and Unknown of Cancer, HPV, and the vaccine; (2) Personal experiences with cancer were commonplace; (3) Barriers to Engaging HPV Cancer Preventive Behaviors; (4) Multi-Modal Strategies are needed to improve preventive behaviors; and (5) Actual versus Preferred Sources of Information. Survey data indicated that men desired information on penile (52%) and oral cancers (48%). The preferred education format was a summit with speakers on various topics (96%). Post-summit evaluation indicated majority of males intended to get screened (73%), eat healthier (77%), and exercise more (64%). About 40% reported getting themselves, children, or grandchildren the HPV vaccine.

Discussion: Our program demonstrated acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy. This work warrants further study as a potential program to improve HPV preventive behaviors among African American men.

Translation to Health Education Practice: Use of cultural-targeting strengthened our partnership and yielded an appropriate, possibly sustainable intervention.

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the community members and community-based organizations of Nashville, Tennessee for ensuring the success of this research initiative.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The project [publication or poster] described was supported by CTSA award number 5UL1TR002243-03 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). Its contents are solely the responsibilities of the authors and do not necessarily represent official views of NCATS or the National Institutes of Health.