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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2020 Jul;34(6):681-685.
doi: 10.1177/0890117119900592. Epub 2020 Jan 27.

Development and Evaluation of a Cancer Literacy Intervention to Promote Mammography Screening Among Navajo Women: A Pilot Study

Pamela S Sinicrope  1 , Mark C Bauer  2 , Christi A Patten  1 , Martha Austin-Garrison  2 , Linda Garcia  2 , Christine A Hughes  1 , Martha J Bock  1 , Paul A Decker  3 , Kathleen J Yost  4 , Wesley O Petersen  1 , Lydia P Buki  5 , Edward R Garrison  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Development and Evaluation of a Cancer Literacy Intervention to Promote Mammography Screening Among Navajo Women: A Pilot Study

Pamela S Sinicrope et al. Am J Health Promot. 2020 Jul.

Abstract

Purpose: Develop and evaluate a mammography intervention that provides hope about cancer prevention and treatment.

Design: Pilot randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Two communities on the Navajo Nation.

Participants: Navajo women and support persons.

Intervention: Both groups received standard care: one home visit discussing mammography pros/cons and barriers. The treatment group received an intervention based on Navajo language via an additional home visit with health education materials (written and oral) in English and Navajo, including a Navajo Cancer Glossary with a new descriptive phrase for cancer.

Analysis: Between control and intervention conditions, we compared baseline sociodemographics; changes from baseline to 3 months on mammography completion and breast cancer literacy scores.

Measures: (1) intervention feasibility; (2) self- and clinic-reported mammography screening completion; (3) breast cancer literacy.

Results: A total of 25 participants were randomly assigned (13 treatment, 12 control), with 7 support persons in each arm. Mean age was 53 years, 90% had a high school degree or higher, 86% spoke Navajo and English. At 3 months, 44% had a clinically verified mammogram. Mammography completion was 57% among those with a support person and 27% among those without (P = .14). Intervention women reported more breast cancer beliefs consistent with mammography (P = .015).

Conclusions: Increases in breast cancer beliefs consistent with mammography show promise. Findings highlight a need to tailor education materials to Navajo culture/language and focus on enhancing support.

Keywords: AI/AN; American Indian; Navajo; breast cancer; cancer; cancer literacy; cancer screening; health disparities; intervention; mammography; prevention; randomized controlled trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

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