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Communication-based Strategies to Eliminate Cancer Health Disparities
Principal Investigator: Matthew W. Kreuter, Washington University

Website: http://hcrl.wustl.edu/

Testing disparity-reducing interventions in large scale studies conducted in real world settings within existing cancer control systems

For over 12 years, our Center's research has focused on developing and testing strategies to increase the reach and effectiveness of health communication interventions to disadvantaged and minority populations. This CECCR will advance cancer communication science by testing disparity-reducing interventions in large-scale studies conducted in real world settings within existing cancer control systems, thus enhancing potential for dissemination.

This theme captures the three distinctive features of our CECCR:

1. a focus on eliminating disparities;
2. integration of cancer communication into systems of clinical care and cancer control; and
3. real world testing of cancer communication interventions and dissemination.

Research project summaries:

• Integrating Cancer Control Referrals and Navigators into United Way 2-1-1 (Matthew Kreuter, PI) is the first cancer communication research partnership with United Way 2-1-1, the nation's largest information and referral system. The study will connect 2-1-1 callers with needed clinical and preventive cancer services available for free in their community, and test the effects of cancer control navigators and tailored communication in increasing the use of these services.



• Ozioma: Enhancing Localization of Cancer News Stories in Black Newspapers (Douglas Luke, PI) builds on our Ozioma News Service for Black newspapers, which increases the amount and quality of cancer coverage, and affects readers' cancer information seeking and preventive behaviors. In this extension, we partner with five divisions of the American Cancer Society (ACS) to test our intervention against an enhanced version in which local ACS staff supplement Ozioma's cancer news releases with community specific information.



• Survivor stories impact on cancer patients' QOL and follow-up care (Graham Colditz, PI) evaluates effects of a new touch-screen, interactive cancer communication tool among African American women being treated for breast cancer. The tool provides a searchable library of hundreds of videotaped stories on coping, social support and relationships, told by other local African American breast cancer survivors. Effects on quality of life and adherence to follow-up care will be evaluated.

For full descriptions: Wash U Overview December 2008