Paper
Sunday, November 4, 2007
337
Attitudes, Beliefs, and Access for Hereditary Breast Cancer Risk Assessment in a Low-Income Arab-American Community
Suzanne Mellon, PhD, RN, College of Health Professions, University of Detroit Mercy and Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA, Adnan Hammad, PhD, ACCESS, Dearborn, MI, USA, Michelle Cichon, MS, CGC, Genetics, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA, Michael Simon, MD, MPH, Hematology and Oncology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA, and Michael Tainsky, PhD, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA.
| Learning Objective #1: identify family and cultural attitudes in the Arab-American population toward hereditary breast cancer risk assessment. |
| Learning Objective #2: identify 3 barriers toward accessing breast cancer risk assessment for low-income Arab-American women. |
While there is a lack of population-based data on breast cancer incidence among Arab-American women in the United States, information in southeastern Michigan with the highest population of Arab-Americans outside the middle-east indicates that breast cancer is the leading cause of death for women. The incidence of invasive breast cancer under 50 years of age, a key indicator of hereditary breast cancer, is also higher for Arab-American women than the Caucasian population. Therefore, this population is a group in need of breast cancer risk assessment and screening for hereditary breast cancer, but barriers exist for accessing preventive and screening services for low-income Arab-American women. The purposes of this demonstration project were: 1) to assess the knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes of women regarding hereditary breast cancer, 2) increase awareness and knowledge through development of culturally-appropriate educational materials, 3) provide a comprehensive training program to health outreach workers and primary care providers, and 4) provide hereditary breast cancer risk assessment and appropriate referral for 500 low income Arab-American women. A focus group of women identified to be at potential risk for hereditary breast cancer was conducted to determine knowledge, attitudes and barriers regarding hereditary cancer risk. Preliminary themes identify family and cultural attitudes and barriers that influence women in obtaining risk assessment for themselves and their families. These include stigma and shame of breast cancer, not talking about cancer within the family, fear of inherited cancer for children, cancer myths, and lack of knowledge regarding cancer risk. Customized educational materials and training of outreach health workers will be described, along with preliminary data detailing the hereditary breast cancer assessment and referrals with this population. This project will address a critical need in this under-served population by providing culturally-sensitive information that will be appropriate for the entire family in breast cancer risk assessment.