Abstract A15: The role of family communication in cancer screening practices.

Abstract

Black and Latina women experience the highest disparities in incidence and mortality of cervical cancer and breast cancer mortality in spite of lower incidence than non-Hispanic white women. Among diverse and low literacy populations, family centered networks represent an important mechanism for communication about health concerns, including preventive screening practices. The purpose of the study is to examine the associations between family communication, demographic factors, and breast and cervical cancer health literacy.

Black (n=216), Latina (n=65), and Arab (n=233) women enrolled in a randomized trial of Kin Keeper^SM, a cancer prevention intervention delivered by community health workers. Self-reported family communication scores (FACES) were cross-tabulated with age, education, literacy scores and presence of grandmother. Analyses were replicated by race and ethnicity.

Black and Arab women are the most likely to have a college degree or more and also the most likely to rate their health as excellent compared to Latina respondents. Blacks had the lowest family communication scores while Arabs had the highest family communication scores. Among Blacks, lower FACES score associated with lower cervical cancer literacy and with presence of a grandmother. FACES scores were higher among those who had lower educational attainment(less than a high school degree) and lower among all race/ethnic groups who rated their health status as poor.

The unique contribution of this study is the inclusion of Arab women and its focus on family communication scores. The implications of these data are that for low-income diverse groups there are disparities in family communication, and that family network is an important and viable resource for the transmission of health cancer literacy information.

Note: This abstract was withdrawn after the Program and Proceedings were printed and was not presented at the conference.

Citation Format: Adnan Hammad, Karen Patricia Williams, Ruth E. Zambrana, Cristian Meghea. The role of family communication in cancer screening practices. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A15.