Lay Health Advisors to Promote Breast Cancer Screening
Among Asian American Women
Introduction
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among Asian American
women in the U.S., but Asian women have lower rates of breast cancer screening
that other U.S. racial or ethnic populations because of cultural, lingual, and
economic barriers.
The proposed research project aims to promote breast health care among Asian
American women through training community Lay Health Advisors (LHAs) who know
how to reach women and provide advice, emotional support, and tangible aid for
those who lack access to health care. Funded
by a grant from the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the two year
program seeks to develop educational materials and train LHAs in year one. During the second year, the program will focus on community
outreach and evaluation. This
project is designed to institutionalize the most effective support mechanisms
within the Asian American community, so that the LHA structure becomes
self-sustaining.
Since Asian Americans include a number of diverse subpopulations, the pilot
program will be conducted among the Chinese community.
Five southeastern Michigan counties have more than 70% of the state’s
Chinese population. Approximately
80 bilingual Chinese LHAs will be trained, using both on-site and distance
instruction, to help medically underserved women gain access to mammography
screening. It is expected that
through the LHAs’ efforts, approximately 1,600 women will participate in one
breast cancer screening promotion event and 160 of the targeted underserved
population will have scheduled mammography exams by the end of the project’s
18th month.
The Lay Health Advisor Education Program is managed by the
Healthy Asian Americans Project (HAAP). Founded
in 1996, HAAP conducts research on and promotes understanding of Asian
American health issues and seeks to improve access to health care for the
Asian American community. Located
at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, HAAP has been researching and
promoting Asian Americans’ health issues for more than 7 years.
Please
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The
Lay Health Advisor (LHA) Education Program