TY - JOUR
T1 - Improving Cancer Risk Awareness Including Obesity as a Risk Factor for Cancer in a Small U.S. Community
AU - Thapa, Janani R.
AU - Lyford, Conrad
AU - McCool, Barent
AU - Pence, Barbara
AU - McCool, Audrey
AU - Belasco, Eric
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgement The authors would like to acknowledge the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas for providing the funding support for this study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2016, American Association for Cancer Education.
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Obesity is a risk for certain types of cancer; however, awareness of obesity as a risk factor for cancer is low. This study evaluated increases in cancer risk awareness, including obesity as a risk factor for cancer, from a quasi-experimental intervention that provided educational materials and community reinforcement for healthy living. The study uses data on participant’s awareness of cancer risk factors along with sociodemographic variables collected from in-person surveys (N = 863) at baseline (June 2011) and post intervention (June 2012). The average awareness that overweight and obesity are risk factors for cancer was low (35 %) compared to chewing tobacco (92 %), using tanning bed (73 %), and sunburn (97 %) at baseline. The intervention significantly increased participants’ awareness that overweight and obesity are risk factors for cancer. Based on regression analysis, the unadjusted intervention effect on cancer risk awareness was significant: 0.392 ± 0.165 (p value = 0.020) for matched participants and 0.282 ± 0.125 (p value = 0.024) for community participants. The adjusted intervention effect was significant in the matched participants (0.528 ± 0.189, p value = 0.006). Education, income, gender, and age had a significant impact on cancer risk awareness for the community participants. The results show that community intervention that incorporates community reinforcement can have the desired effect regardless of differences at participant level. Such interventions could be used to prevent cancer risk in communities that are at high risk.
AB - Obesity is a risk for certain types of cancer; however, awareness of obesity as a risk factor for cancer is low. This study evaluated increases in cancer risk awareness, including obesity as a risk factor for cancer, from a quasi-experimental intervention that provided educational materials and community reinforcement for healthy living. The study uses data on participant’s awareness of cancer risk factors along with sociodemographic variables collected from in-person surveys (N = 863) at baseline (June 2011) and post intervention (June 2012). The average awareness that overweight and obesity are risk factors for cancer was low (35 %) compared to chewing tobacco (92 %), using tanning bed (73 %), and sunburn (97 %) at baseline. The intervention significantly increased participants’ awareness that overweight and obesity are risk factors for cancer. Based on regression analysis, the unadjusted intervention effect on cancer risk awareness was significant: 0.392 ± 0.165 (p value = 0.020) for matched participants and 0.282 ± 0.125 (p value = 0.024) for community participants. The adjusted intervention effect was significant in the matched participants (0.528 ± 0.189, p value = 0.006). Education, income, gender, and age had a significant impact on cancer risk awareness for the community participants. The results show that community intervention that incorporates community reinforcement can have the desired effect regardless of differences at participant level. Such interventions could be used to prevent cancer risk in communities that are at high risk.
KW - Cancer risk awareness
KW - Community
KW - Obesity
KW - Reinforcements
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84973665344&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s13187-016-1060-z
DO - 10.1007/s13187-016-1060-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 27286870
AN - SCOPUS:84973665344
VL - 32
SP - 827
EP - 835
JO - Journal of Cancer Education
JF - Journal of Cancer Education
SN - 0885-8195
IS - 4
ER -