CANCER PREVENTION FOR THE UNDERSERVED

DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) The overall purpose of this program is to reduce morbidity and mortality from cancer among underserved urban minorities through increasing their knowledge about cancer and cancer screening tests and improving their preventive health behaviors. In order to achieve this goal, home attendants (a category of home health care worker comprised primarily of minority women) will receive a core course in cancer prevention which includes a specialized module designed to train the home attendant as a community educator. Concentration initially will be on breast and cervical cancer, with lung and colon cancer added to course content as the program expands. The cancer prevention course will improve the home attendant's knowledge of cancer-related facts as well as enable the home attendant to function as a trained disseminator of cancer information. Since over half the home attendants employed in the Bronx are Hispanic. all education will be provided in Spanish as well as English. After completion of the core course, home attendants will be able to deliver portable capsule curricula to their elderly clients and members of their social network (family and friends). The original capsule curriculum will be designed for female elderly clients, but capsules for elderly male clients, female friends, family members and male peers will subsequently be designed and delivered.