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[PA-32] Examining and Reducing Disparities in Breast and Cervical Cancer Among Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian Women

Mary Anne Foo, MPH, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, Garden Grove, CA

Mary Anne Foo, MPH, Heng Foong, Lola Sablan-Santos, and Maichew Chao

Few data exists related to disparities in breast and cervical health among Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian women living in the Continental U.S. And little to no evaluation has been done on strategies that decrease these disparities experienced by these populations. PATH for Women (Promoting Access to Health for Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian Women) is a partnership between several community based organizations, health care institutions, and two universities. It is a REACH 2010 project funded by the CDC Foundation to decrease disparities related to breast and cervical cancer among Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese, Chamorro, Samoan and Tongan women in Southern California. The project involves several components to improve access to cancer screenings, education and support services for low-income immigrant women and their families.

This poster will highlight the key components of a community action plan necessary to involve several Pacific Islander and Southeast Asian communities in a education campaign to improve breast and cervical health among women. Key strategies found to improve health care access and screening utilization for the women include, patient navigation, medical interpretation, case management, intensive community outreach education with families and community leaders, support groups, development of peer educators, ethnic media partnerships, provider trainings, specialized and mobile screenings, and policymaker support. The partnership has developed a framework for outreach and education and each ethnic community has targeted this framework to be appropriate and accepted within their communities. Successful aspects of the framework will be highlighted with examples of how each ethnic community has adapted it. Challenges to integrating health care messages about breast and cervical health will also be discussed.
Date: July 10-12, 2002

Location: Hilton Hotel & Towers, Washington, DC

Sponsor: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health / Office of Public Health and Science