Esperanza y Vida: A Culturally and Linguistically Customized Breast and Cervical Education Program for Diverse Latinas at Three Different United States Sites

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among Latinas in the United States. In addition, Latinas experience a disproportionate burden of cervical cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality compared with non-Hispanic White women. Lower use of breast and cervical cancer screening services may contribute to these disparities. To address the underutilization of breast and cervical cancer screening among diverse subgroups of Latinas, a peer-led education program called Esperanza y Vida (“Hope and Life”) was developed and administered at 3 sites (2 in New York and 1 in Arkansas). Immigrant Latina women and their partners were educated about the importance of breast and cervical cancer screening, with the goals of increasing their knowledge about these cancers and their screening behavior. An analysis of the intervention’s findings at baseline among female participants demonstrated significant sociodemographic, interpersonal, cultural, health care system, and program variability in 3 distinct geographic regions in the United States. These data indicate the need for and feasibility of customizing cancer outreach and educational programs for diverse Latina subgroups living in various U.S. regions, with implications for informing the expansion and replication of the program in other regions of the country.

Awareness and interest in biospecimen donation for cancer research: views from gatekeepers and prospective participants in the Latino community

“…Purposive sampling from an existing cohort of Latino men and women participants who had previous research participation experience in a breast and cervical cancer educational and screening intervention study (i.e., Esperanza y Vida/EyV study) was used to recruit focus group participants (Erwin et al 2012). Based on responses from KIIs, it was determined that recruiting Latinos with at least a minimal, baseline experience with behavioral researchers from the cancer center would produce optimal focus group interactions and candid responses.…”

“…The goal of this study was to build capacity around existing community research partnerships and initiate community engagement in cancer research efforts that include biospecimen donation as a form of research participation. The Hoy y Mañana (Translation: Today and Tomorrow) program was developed in partnership with previously established community partners from a cancer screening outreach study, (Esperanza y Vida (EyV), (Translation: Hope and Life) (Erwin et al 2005(Erwin et al , 2010Jandorf et al 2008Jandorf et al , 2012Saad-Harfouche et al 2011;Sudarsan et al 2011) as the authors theorized that discussions with individuals with some prior experience with outreach staff from the cancer center would facilitate biobanking discussions among engaged community members. This approach is further supported by community-based participatory research (CBPR) such as the Healthy Black Family Project (Thomas and Quinn 2008) that suggests that community members should receive services/resources in order to build relationships prior to solicitation for institutional/research gain.…”

Characteristics of Male Attendees of Health Education Interventions for Latinos

“…The current paper will examine the characteristics of male attendees at educational interventions developed and implemented for Latino individuals [30,67]. We examine sociodemographic information and health-based knowledge across a range of male sub-groups, including program of attendance (female cancer screening or diabetes management) and partner status (accompanied their partner to an educational-intervention, partnered individuals who came alone, and un-partnered male attendees).…”

“…The current paper involved a secondary analysis of data collected as part of a larger study focused on promoting effective health-based practices in the Latino community [67,68]. The Esperanza y Vida program was established to combine patient navigation services and enhanced knowledge of effective disease prevention and management to promote female cancer screening and health in rural and urban areas of Arkansas and New York (including New York City and Western New York), two states chosen for their high concentration of diverse Latino immigrants.…”

“…The Esperanza y Vida program was established to combine patient navigation services and enhanced knowledge of effective disease prevention and management to promote female cancer screening and health in rural and urban areas of Arkansas and New York (including New York City and Western New York), two states chosen for their high concentration of diverse Latino immigrants. At each project site, one of two educational interventions were randomly assigned and conducted in the local community; one focused on breast and cervical cancer-screening (intervention) and the other on the prevention of and risk reduction for diabetes (control) [30,67]. The cancer screening behavior of female participants in both groups was then assessed longitudinally.…”