Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is an important contributor to the cancer burden among Alaska Native people. CRC is the leading incident cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality among Alaska Native people. Completing recommended CRC screening procedures has the potential to reduce both CRC incidence and mortality. “Taking Action Colorectal Health,” a multidimensional audiovisual, interactive CD-ROM, incorporates adult education learning principles to provide Alaska's Community Health Aides/Practitioners with timely, medically accurate, and culturally relevant CRC place-based education. Providing this resource on CD-ROM empowers learning within communities and places where people live or choose to learn. The dynamic process of developing, implementing, and evaluating this CRC CD-ROM was informed by a sociocultural approach to share health messages. Within this approach, cultural values, beliefs, and behaviors are affirmed as a place of wisdom and resilience and built upon to provide context and meaning for health messaging. Alaska Native values that honor family, relationships, the land, storytelling, and humor were included in CD-ROM content. Between January and May 2012, 20 interviews were conducted with individuals who had used the CD-ROM. Four categorical themes emerged from analysis of interview transcripts: likeability, utilization, helpfulness, and behavior change. As a result of self-paced learning through stories, movies, and interactive games, respondents reported healthy behavior changes they were making for themselves, with their families and in their patient care practices. This CD-ROM is a culturally based practical course that increased knowledge and activities around colorectal cancer screening by Community Health Aides/Practitioners in Alaska.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 613-618 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Journal of Cancer Education |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Thank you to Chester Mark, Suling Wang, David Horesh, Claudia Christensen, Don Haverkamp, Kevin English, Ann Penvenne, Diana Redwood, and the many people who helped in the development and review of “Taking Action Colorectal Health.” This interactive CD-ROM was developed as part of the Colorectal Cancer Screening Health Communication Project funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control to the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC). Additional support was provided by an American Cancer Society Mentored Research Scholar Award (“Developing Arts-Based Cancer Education with Alaska Native People”) to ANTHC. This article was reviewed and approved by the ANTHC Health Research Review Committee (HRRC) on behalf of the ANTHC Board of Directors.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2013, Springer Science+Business Media New York.
Keywords
- Adult learning
- Alaska Native and American Indian
- CD-ROM
- Cancer education
- Colorectal cancer
- Community Health Workers
- Distance education
- Health communication
- Qualitative evaluation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
