Objective Faith Moves Mountains assessed the effectiveness of a faith-placed lay health advisor (LHA) intervention to increase Papanicolaou (Pap) test use among middle-aged and older women in a region disproportionately affected by cervical cancer and low screening rates (regionally, only 68% screened in prior 3 years). Method This community-based RCT was conducted in four Appalachian Kentucky counties (December 2005 – June 2008). Women aged 40–64 and overdue for screening were recruited from churches and individually randomized to treatment (n=176) or wait-list control (n=169). The intervention provided LHA home visits and newsletters addressing barriers to screening. Self-reported Pap test receipt was the primary outcome. Results Intention-to-treat analyses revealed that treatment group participants (17.6% screened) had over twice the odds of wait-list controls (11.2% screened) of reporting Pap test receipt post-intervention, OR=2.56, 95%CI: 1.03–6.38, p=0.04. Independent of group, recently screened participants (last Pap >1 but <5 years ago) had significantly higher odds of obtaining screening during the study than rarely or never screened participants (last Pap ≥5 years ago), OR=2.50, 95%CI: 1.48–4.25, p=0.001. Conclusions The intervention was associated with increased cervical cancer screening. The faith-placed LHA addressing barriers comprises a novel approach to reducing cervical cancer disparities among Appalachian women.

While muscle-strengthening activities by themselves do not appear to reduce mortality risks, such activities may provide added cancer-specific survival benefits to 3+ year cancer survivors who are already aerobically active.

Background This study examined the feasibility and efficacy of Salud Es Vida – a promotora-led, Spanish-language educational group session on cervical cancer screening (Pap tests), self-efficacy (belief in ability to schedule and complete a Pap test), and knowledge among immigrant Hispanic/Latina women from farmworker backgrounds. These women are disproportionately burdened with cervical cancer, with mortality rates significantly higher than non-Hispanic whites. Methods The two-arm, quasi-experimental study was conducted in four rural counties of Southeast Georgia in 2014–15. Hispanic/Latina immigrant women aged 21–65 years and overdue for a Pap test were included as intervention (N = 38) and control (N=52) group participants. The intervention was developed in partnership with a group of promotoras to create the toolkit of materials which includes a curriculum guide, a brochure, a flipchart, a short animated video, and in-class activities. Results Twelve (32%) intervention group participants received the Pap test compared to 10 (19%) control group participants (p = .178). The intervention group scored significantly higher on both cervical cancer knowledge recall and retention than the control group (p < .001). While there was no statistically significant difference in cervical cancer screening self-efficacy scores between the group participants, both groups scored higher at follow-up, adjusting for the baseline scores. Conclusion The group intervention approach was associated with increased cervical cancer knowledge, but not uptake of Pap test. More intensive interventions using patient navigation approaches or promotoras who actively follow participants or conducting one-on-one rather than group sessions may be needed to achieve improved screening outcomes with this population.

Social support generally is considered a valuable asset that may compensate for health service deficiencies among rural populations. Employing a mixed methods approach, we explored how vulnerable rural residents described social support in the context of self-management for multiple chronic conditions. Participants generally felt support was available, though emotional/informational support was perceived as less available than other types of support. Participants did not rely heavily on informal support to help them manage their multiple morbidities, preferring to call on their doctor and their own resources. We discuss implications of these findings for meeting this vulnerable population’s self-management needs.

WHAT'S KNOWN ON THIS SUBJECT:There is a generational shift in social norms related to body weight among adult population; little is known about the secular change of paternal perceptions of their child' s weight. WHAT THIS STUDY ADDS:A shift in body norms toward heavier weight statuses exists among parents of children, presenting a vast challenge to family-based childhood obesity prevention. Primary care providers can play a more active role in identifying the children with increased weight. abstract BACKGROUND: Parental perceptions of child' s weight status may influence family readiness to foster healthy behaviors. This study investigated the generational shifting of parental perceptions about children' s weight.METHODS: Data were collected in the NHANES 1988-1994 (n = 2871) and 2005-2010 (n = 3202). Parents, mainly mothers, were asked whether they considered their child, ages 6 to 11 years, to be overweight, underweight, or just about the right weight. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 growth chart was used for reference. We ran Poisson regression to estimate the probability ratio between the 2 surveys for parents perceiving their child as overweight after controlling for actual weight. RESULTS:The 10th percentile of BMI z scores for children who were parentally perceived as overweight shifted with statistical significance from 84th percentile of reference population in the early survey to 91st percentile of reference population in the recent survey (P , .05). The mean z score of children parentally perceived as overweight also increased between surveys with the largest increase among children from poor families (from 1.60 [SE: 0.20] to 1.98 [0.08], P , .05), followed by African Americans (from 1.65 [0.09] to 2.02 [0.05], P , .05). The probability of overweight/obese children being correctly perceived as overweight by the parents declined by 24% between surveys (probability ratio = 0.76 [95% confidence interval: 0.67-0.87]).CONCLUSIONS: Overweight/obese children were less likely to be perceived as overweight in the recent survey compared with peers of similar weight but surveyed 10+ years earlier. The declining tendency among parents to perceive overweight children appropriately may indicate a generational shift in social norms related to body weight.