Community Outreach, Engagement, and Mentoring Program for Underrepresented Scholars in Cancer Health Disparities.

Racial/ethnic minorities and women are affected by cancer and cancer risk factors at higher rates; however, they are largely underrepresented in scientific professions focused on health disparities. One way to reduce disparities is to increase diversity within the workforce by planning training activities for minority scholars and paying close attention to community outreach. This paper describes the outcomes of a robust community outreach plan engaging communities in education, research, and clinical trials to increase the number of underrepresented student scholars in cancer disparities research through research training, mentorship, and service-learning activities provided within local organizations. The program provided two cohorts of scholars from underrepresented communities with opportunities to attend seminars, present their research to community representatives, and connect with the local community. Cohort 1 consisting of ten scholars participated in a 2-year program that started in the summer of 2018. Cohort 2, consisting of seven scholars, participated in a 1-year program starting in June 2020. Overall, scholars provided positive feedback on all service-learning program activities and the effectiveness of the program in shaping career interests. New procedures developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic continued the effective management of all components of the program and helped increase engagement with the community outreach staff. The outreach program evaluated here can prepare diverse scholars to enter the workforce with interdisciplinary training for mitigating cancer disparities and serve as a model for planning and implementing similar programs at other institutions.

Engaging the Asian American Community to Address Cancer Burden: Experiences and Lessons Learned.

BACKGROUND: Reducing cancer health disparities in Asian Americans requires orchestrated efforts and partnerships. OBJECTIVES: To describe the approach used by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, HOPE Clinic, and Asian American organizations to understand and engage Houston's Asian American communities in cancer research, as well as to share lessons learned. METHODS: The community-academic-medical partnership used community-based research principles to build the partnership, form the community advisory board, conduct a community needs assessment, and offer cancer prevention engagement and education. RESULTS: Some lessons learned included balancing language needs with limited resources, incorporating more time and resources to conduct health research in an ethnically diverse community, and promoting awareness of research and its role in cancer prevention in Asian American communities. CONCLUSIONS: Community-academic-medical partnerships are promising ways to engage the community, draw on combined expertise, and create research and programs that are scientifically strong and meaningful to the community.

Promoting Cancer Health Equity: A Qualitative Study of Mentee and Mentor Perspectives of a Training Program for Underrepresented Scholars in Cancer Health Disparities.

Racial and ethnic minorities, and women, experience stark disparities in cancer risk behaviors and mortality rates, yet often remain underrepresented in scientific research positions. We conducted an exploratory, qualitative study to examine the value of mentored research experience as part of an NCI-funded research training program designed to increase the representation of minority and women scientists in cancer disparities research. Using individual interviews, we explored 16 mentees' and 7 mentors' program experiences and perspectives to identify the most effective strategies to build strong mentoring relationships that could ultimately contribute to increased representation in health disparities research. Two expert analysts employed thematic analysis and constant comparison to code, categorize, and summarize the data into themes. Mentees and mentors shared five themes identifying contributions to program success: conditions for building successful mentoring relationships; role of mentor/mentee similarities or differences and their impact on effective collaboration; program elements that fostered developing knowledge, skills, and confidence; program supportive opportunities; and challenges and benefits of in-person vs. virtual program delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings contribute to improving the quality of training programs for historically excluded trainees to advance their cancer disparities research careers and offer a successful model that can guide similar programs.

"UHAND"-A National Cancer Institute Funded Partnership to Advance Cancer Health Equity through Scholar Training.

Black and Hispanic adults are disproportionately affected by cancer incidence and mortality, and experience disparities in cancer relative to their White counterparts in the US. These groups, including women, are underrepresented among scientists in the fields of cancer, cancer disparities, and cancer care. The "UHAND" Program is a partnership between institutions (University of Houston and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center) aiming to build the capacity of underrepresented and racial/ethnic minority student "scholars" to conduct research on eliminating cancer inequities by reducing social and physical risk factors among at-risk groups. Here, we examine the outcomes of the UHAND Program's first scholar cohort (n = 1 postdoctoral fellow, n = 3 doctoral scholars, n = 6 undergraduate scholars). Data collection included baseline, mid-program, and exit surveys; program records; and monthly scholar achievement queries. From baseline to exit, scholars significantly increased their research self-efficacy (p = 0.0293). Scholars largely met goals for academic products, achieving a combined total of 65 peer-reviewed presentations and nine empirical publications. Eight scholars completed the 2-year program; one undergraduate scholar received her degree early and the postdoctoral fellow accepted a tenure-track position at another university following one year of training. Scholars highly rated UHAND's programming and their mentors' competencies in training scholars for research careers. Additionally, we discuss lessons learned that may inform future training programs.

Effect of a Patient Decision Aid on Lung Cancer Screening Decision-Making by Persons Who Smoke: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography lowers lung cancer mortality but has potential harms. Current guidelines support patients receiving information about the benefits and harms of lung cancer screening during decision-making. Objective: To examine the effect of a patient decision aid (PDA) about lung cancer screening compared with a standard educational material (EDU) on decision-making outcomes among smokers. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted using 13 state tobacco quitlines. Current and recent tobacco quitline clients who met age and smoking history eligibility for lung cancer screening were enrolled from March 30, 2015, to September 12, 2016, and followed up for 6 months until May 5, 2017. Data analysis was conducted between May 5, 2017, and September 30, 2018. Interventions: Participants were randomized to the PDA video Lung Cancer Screening: Is It Right for Me? (n = 259) or to EDU (n = 257). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were preparation for decision-making and decisional conflict measured at 1 week. Secondary outcomes included knowledge, intentions, and completion of screening within 6 months of receiving the intervention measured by patient report. Results: Of 516 quit line clients enrolled, 370 (71.7%) were younger than 65 years, 320 (62.0%) were female, 138 (26.7%) identified as black, 47 (9.1%) did not have health insurance, and 226 (43.8%) had a high school or lower educational level. Of participants using the PDA, 153 of 227 (67.4%) were well prepared to make a screening decision compared with 108 of 224 participants (48.2%) using EDU (odds ratio [OR], 2.31; 95% CI, 1.56-3.44; P < .001). Feeling informed about their screening choice was reported by 117 of 234 participants (50.0%) using a PDA compared with 66 of 233 participants (28.3%) using EDU (OR, 2.56; 95% CI, 1.72-3.79; P < .001); 159 of 234 participants (68.0%) using a PDA compared with 110 of 232 (47.4%) participants using EDU reported being clear about their values related to the harms and benefits of screening (OR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.60-3.51; P < .001). Participants using a PDA were more knowledgeable about lung cancer screening than participants using EDU at each follow-up assessment. Intentions to be screened and screening behaviors did not differ between groups. Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, a PDA delivered to clients of tobacco quit lines improved informed decision-making about lung cancer screening. Many smokers eligible for lung cancer screening can be reached through tobacco quit lines. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02286713.

Multiple Health Behaviors Engagement in an African American Cohort: Clustering Patterns and Correlates.

We investigated class clustering patterns of four behaviors-physical activity, fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake, smoking, and alcohol use-in a faith-based African American cohort. Guided by socio-ecological models, we also examined the psychosocial and neighborhood social environmental factors associated with the clustering patterns. Participants were 1,467 African American adults recruited from a mega church in the metropolitan Houston, TX, in 2008-2009. They completed a survey and health assessment. Latent class analysis and multinomial regression analysis were conducted. Results supported a three-class model: Class 1 was characterized by low physical activity, low F&V intake, and low substance use (smoking and alcohol use). Class 2 was characterized by high physical activity, low F&V intake, and mild drinking. Class 3 seemed to be the healthiest group, characterized by high physical activity, moderate-to-high F&V intake, and low substance use. The probabilities of being included in Classes 1, 2, and 3 were .33, .48, and .19, respectively. Participants in Class 1 (vs. Class 3) reported lower physical activity norm ( p < .001) and higher smoking norm ( p = .002) and lower neighborhood social cohesion ( p = .031). Participants in Class 2 (vs. Class 3) reported higher cancer risk perception ( p < .001), lower F&V norm ( p = .022), lower physical activity norm ( p < .001), higher smoking norm ( p < .001), and lower social cohesion ( p = .047). As health behaviors are clustered together, future interventions for African Americans may consider targeting multiple health behaviors instead of targeting a single health behavior. Interventions addressing social norm and neighborhood social cohesion may enhance multiple health behaviors engagement in this population.

Engaging Black Churches to Address Cancer Health Disparities: Project CHURCH.

African Americans in the United States suffer disproportionately from cancer, having the highest mortality rate of any racial/ethnic group across all cancers for the past several decades. In addition, significant disparities exist in several cancer risk behaviors, including obesity, intake of fruits and vegetables, leisure time physical activity and cancer screening. Addressing these disparities require successful development of relationships with minority communities to partner in the research process, in order to understand areas of critical need and develop interventions that are compatible with this community. In this manuscript we describe Project CHURCH (Creating a Higher Understanding of Cancer Research and Community Health), a collaborative partnership between The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Houston-area African American churches. Project CHURCH was developed to understand disparities in cancer prevention risk factors and engage African Americans as partners in the research process. Using community-based participatory research principles, we describe the development and infrastructure of the research partnership, as well as how the church community has been engaged in the development and implementation of a large African American cohort study (N = 2,338). Finally, the characteristics of the cohort are presented along with cohort success in addressing community need while having significant contribution to the scientific literature. Project CHURCH serves as a valuable resource for cancer prevention in the African American community.

Randomized trial of a patient-centered decision aid for promoting informed decisions about lung cancer screening: Implementation of a PCORI study protocol and lessons learned.

PURPOSE: We describe the methods, stakeholder engagement, and lessons learned from a study comparing a video decision aid to standard educational materials on lung cancer screening decisions. METHODS: The study followed rigorous methodology standards from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The importance of patient-centeredness and patient/stakeholder engagement are reflected across the study's conceptualization, execution, interpretation, and dissemination efforts. Advisory groups of current and former smokers, quitline service providers, clinicians, and patient advocates were formed for the project. The study used both retrospective and prospective recruitment strategies. Randomization of patients occurred within state-based quitlines, with aggressive tracking of participants. We collected data at baseline and 1-week, 3-month and 6-months after receiving the intervention. The patient-centered outcomes included whether patients' receiving the decision aid a) felt better prepared to make a decision, b) felt more informed about the screening decision, c) had more clarity on their values regarding the benefits and harms of lung cancer screening, and d) were more knowledgeable about lung cancer screening than patients receiving the standard education materials. Exploratory outcomes included making an appointment with a health care provider to discuss screening, scheduling and completing lung cancer screening. RESULTS: We have enrolled and randomized 516 quitline patients and learned many lessons about executing the trial based on significant patient and stakeholder engagement. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting patient-centered outcomes research requires new ways of thinking and continuously checking-in with patients/stakeholders. The engagement of quitline service providers and patient advisors has been key to successful recruitment and dissemination planning. PCORI- CER-1306-03385 ClinicalTrials.gov NCT ID: NCT02286713.

A brief measure of Smokers' knowledge of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography.

We describe the development and psychometric properties of a new, brief measure of smokers' knowledge of lung cancer screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). Content experts identified key facts smokers should know in making an informed decision about lung cancer screening. Sample questions were drafted and iteratively refined based on feedback from content experts and cognitive testing with ten smokers. The resulting 16-item knowledge measure was completed by 108 heavy smokers in Houston, Texas, recruited from 12/2014 to 09/2015. Item difficulty, item discrimination, internal consistency and test-retest reliability were assessed. Group differences based upon education levels and smoking history were explored. Several items were dropped due to ceiling effects or overlapping constructs, resulting in a 12-item knowledge measure. Additional items with high item uncertainty were retained because of their importance in informed decision making about lung cancer screening. Internal consistency reliability of the final scale was acceptable (KR-20 = 0.66) and test-retest reliability of the overall scale was 0.84 (intraclass correlation). Knowledge scores differed across education levels (F = 3.36, p = 0.04), while no differences were observed between current and former smokers (F = 1.43, p = 0.24) or among participants who met or did not meet the 30-pack-year screening eligibility criterion (F = 0.57, p = 0.45). The new measure provides a brief, valid and reliable indicator of smokers' knowledge of key concepts central to making an informed decision about lung cancer screening with LDCT, and can be part of a broader assessment of the quality of smokers' decision making about lung cancer screening.

Work hours, weight status, and weight-related behaviors: a study of metro transit workers.

BACKGROUND: Associations between hours worked per week and Body Mass Index (BMI), food intake, physical activity, and perceptions of eating healthy at work were examined in a sample of transit workers. METHODS: Survey data were collected from 1086 transit workers. Participants reported hours worked per week, food choices, leisure-time physical activity and perceptions of the work environment with regard to healthy eating. Height and weight were measured for each participant. Multivariate linear and logistic regressions were conducted to examine associations between work hours and behavioral variables. Associations were examined in the full sample and stratified by gender. RESULTS: Transit workers working in the highest work hour categories had higher BMI and poorer dietary habits, with results differing by gender. Working 50 or more hours per week was associated with higher BMI among men but not women. Additionally, working 50 or more hours per week was significantly associated with higher frequency of accessing cold beverage, cold food, and snack vending machines among men. Working 40 or more hours per week was associated with higher frequency of accessing cold food vending machines among women. Reported frequency of fruit and vegetable intake was highest among women working 50 or more hours per week. Intake of sweets, sugar sweetened beverages, and fast food did not vary with work hours in men or women. Physical activity and perception of ease of eating healthy at work were not associated with work hours in men or women. CONCLUSIONS: Long work hours were associated with more frequent use of garage vending machines and higher BMI in transit workers, with associations found primarily among men. Long work hours may increase dependence upon food availability at the worksite, which highlights the importance of availability of healthy food choices.