Breast Cancer knowledge, perceptions and practices in a rural Community in Coastal Kenya.

Background: Data on breast healthcare knowledge, perceptions and practice among women in rural Kenya is limited. Furthermore, the role of the male head of household in influencing a woman's breast health seeking behavior is also not known. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, perceptions and practice of breast cancer among women, male heads of households, opinion leaders and healthcare providers within a rural community in Kenya.

An Exploration of Multilevel Physical Activity Correlates Among Low-Income African Americans in Alabama and Mississippi.

Understanding obesity-related health disparities among low-income African Americans in the south requires further research investigating the range of factors influencing health behaviors. This study sought to examine the relationship between meeting the minimum recommendation for moderate physical activity and multilevel, including policy, systems, and environmental, strategies thought to influence health behaviors. We utilize preintervention community survey data from a sample of 256 low-income, predominantly, African Americans in 3 southeastern cities.

Introduction: Impacting the Social Determinants of Health through a Regional Academic-Community Partnership: The Experience of the Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center for Health Disparities Research.

Objective: The purpose of this article is to describe the background and experience of the Academic-Community Engagement (ACE) Core of the Mid-South Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center for Health Disparities Research (Mid-South TCC) in impacting the social determinants of health through the establishment and implementation of a regional academic-community partnership.

Conceptual Framework: The Mid-South TCC is informed by three strands of research: the social determinants of health, the socioecological model, and community-based participatory research (CBPR). Combined, these elements represent a science of engagement that has allowed us to use CBPR principles at a regional level to address the social determinants of health disparities.

Policy, System and Environmental Correlates of Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in a Low-Income African American Population in the Southeast.

Objective: The current study seeks to identify policy, system and environmental (PSE) correlates of fruit and vegetable consumption among a sample of low-income African Americans in two counties in Alabama (Jefferson and Mobile) and one county in Mississippi (Forrest).

Design: A modified Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFFS) survey, which included multi-level ecological factors, was used to evaluate nutritional habits at the pre-intervention stage of a multi-state research study. We surveyed a total of 256 participants between May and August 2015.

Using Community Feedback to Improve Community Interventions: Results From the Deep South Network for Cancer Control Project.

The Deep South Network for Cancer Control (DSNCC), initiated in 2000, is a dual-state, community-based participatory research infrastructure composed of academic and community partners committed to reducing cancer disparities among underserved African Americans in 12 designated counties of the Alabama Black Belt and the Mississippi Delta, 2 historically underserved areas of the country. Local residents trained as Community Health Advisors as Research Partners implemented a 3-tier community action plan (CAP) focused on promoting cancer screening, physical activity, and nutrition. Breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening, healthy eating habits, and physical activity levels increased among many, but not all, African American women in the 12-county DSNCC coverage area.

African American organ donor registration: a mixed methods design using the theory of planned behavior.

Context: A large racial disparity exists in organ donation.

Objective: To identify factors associated with becoming a registered organ donor among African Americans in Alabama.

Methods: Concurrent mixed methods design guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior to analyze African Americans' decisions to become a registered organ donor by using both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (survey) methods.

Developing a community action plan to eliminate cancer disparities: lessons learned.

Background: African Americans bear an unequal burden of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer. The Deep South Network for Cancer Control (DSN) is a community-academic partnership operating in Alabama and Mississippi that was funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to address cancer disparities using community-based participatory research approaches.

Objective: In addition to reporting on the plans of this work in progress, we describe the participatory process that local residents and the DSN used to identify needs and priorities, and elaborate on lessons learned from applying a participatory approach to the development of a community action plan.

Using community-based participatory approaches to mobilize communities for policy change.

The Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition used community-based participatory research principles to address breast and cervical cancer disparities among Alabama's most vulnerable African American communities. With funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition implemented a multilevel action plan, which entailed disseminating evidence-based strategies to community organizations interested in addressing cancer and other health disparities. Based on the Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition's technical assistance on advocacy, an independent, community-led coalition was formed.

Development of a spiritually based educational intervention to increase informed decision making for prostate cancer screening among church-attending African American men.

One way of developing culturally relevant health communication in the African American church setting is to develop spiritually based interventions, in which the health message is framed by relevant spiritual themes and scripture. In this article we describe the development of a community health advisor(CHA)-led intervention aimed at increasing informed decision making (IDM) for prostate cancer screening among church-attending African American men. Full-color print educational booklets were developed and pilot tested with extensive community participation of church-attending African American men age-eligible for screening.

A comparison of a spiritually based and non-spiritually based educational intervention for informed decision making for prostate cancer screening among church-attending African-American men.

Introduction: Health communication interventions have been modestly effective for increasing informed decision making for prostate cancer screening among African-American men; however, knowledge and informed decision making is still questionable even with screening. Church-based programs may be more effective if they are spiritually based in nature.

Objective: The aims of the present study were to implement and provide an initial evaluation of a spiritually based prostate cancer screening informed decision making intervention for African-American men who attend church, and determine its efficacy for increasing informed decision making.

Religious involvement and prostate cancer screening behaviors among southeastern African American men.

This study examined the relationship between religious involvement and prostate cancer screening behavior among a probability sample of 199 African American men. Religious involvement was assessed by telephone via a multidimensional instrument. Engaging in religious behaviors was predictive of reporting a digital rectal examination (DRE) within the past year.

Perceptions of the religion--health connection among African Americans in the southeastern United States: sex, age, and urban/rural differences.

Extensive literature reviews suggest that religiousness is positively associated with health. Much less understood is the particular nature of the religion-health connection. Religion and the church play a central role in the lives of many African Americans.

Addressing disparities through coalition building: Alabama REACH 2010 lessons learned.

Community-based coalitions have become accepted vehicles for addressing complex health problems. Few articles have described the challenges and lessons learned from such a process. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: 1) to describe the processes involved in building and maintaining the REACH 2010 Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Coalition (ABCCCC) and 2) to highlight the lessons learned from this venture.

The development of a community action plan to reduce breast and cervical cancer disparities between African-American and White women.

The purpose of this project was to establish a coalition of academic, state, and community-based organizations to develop a community action plan (CAP) to eliminate breast and cervical cancer morbidity and mortality disparities between African-American (AA) and Caucasian women. The project targeted rural and urban low-income AA women in Alabama. Based on the logic model, community capacity building was implemented, followed by the development of a community-driven CAP.

Community health advisors as research partners: an evaluation of the training and activities.

The feasibility of training large numbers of community health advisors as research partners (CHARPs) was evaluated using talking circles data and cancer activity questionnaires and logs. The talking circles data indicated that the CHARPs (n=108) valued their training and believed they learned necessary research partner skills. A review of contacts (n=7,956) provided evidence that CHARPs (n=883) could work as a team to deliver a variety of services over time to the community.

African American community health advisors trained as research partners: recruitment and training.

The African American community has played an influential role in generating change. Grass-roots organizations and concerned individuals can be included in programs designed to increase cancer awareness and cancer early detection practices to ultimately eliminate cancer disparities. The utilization of a formalized Community Health Advisors program can be an infrastructure by which effective cancer prevention and control programs can be conducted in underserved African American communities.