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Opportunities to Reduce Cancer Barriers: Community Town Halls and Provider Focus Groups

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Abstract

This paper presents the findings from town hall meetings held with community residents and focus groups with health care providers. A total of five town halls (N = 139) were conducted. Four were conducted in English and a fifth was conducted in Spanish to obtain the input of the local Hispanic community. Surveys were provided to town hall participants to assess their perceptions of cancer and screening as well as their cancer screening behaviors. Participants were asked questions designed to determine local gaps and needs in health and cancer care, and their attitudes regarding breast cancer resources, education, treatment, and clinical trials. Additionally, four focus groups (N = 45) were held with a wide range of providers to obtain their perspectives on barriers to breast cancer screening, local cancer prevention and care, and clinical trials. Results indicate gaps in local resources and support services, particularly in terms of education and integrated care.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank the town hall participants as well as the health care providers for sharing their views with us. We would also like to thank the members of the research team including Amber Cox, Carol Covington, Soyoung Hwang, Antonio Villa, and Ellyn Leighton-Herrmann for their assistance with various parts of this project including recruitment, data analysis, and/or assistance with manuscript preparation. Our appreciation is further extended to VCU Massey Cancer Center, Paint it Pink in Petersburg, the Petersburg Department of Social Services, and the Cameron Foundation for their support. This study was made possible by funding received from the National Cancer Institute (3U10 CA052784-20S2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, One Capitol Square, 9th floor, 830 East Main Street, PO Box 980149, Richmond, VA, 23298-0149, USA

    Maghboeba Mosavel

  2. Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, P.O. Box 980037, Richmond, VA, 23298-0037, USA

    Carlin Rafie

  3. Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, 401 College Street, North Basement 216, P.O. Box 980037, Richmond, VA, 23298-0037, USA

    Debbie L. Cadet

  4. NCI, National Outreach Network (NON), Project C.H.A.T. Petersburg, VCU Massey Cancer Center, Richmond, VA, USA

    Antoinette Ayers

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  1. Maghboeba Mosavel
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  2. Carlin Rafie
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  3. Debbie L. Cadet
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  4. Antoinette Ayers
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Correspondence to Maghboeba Mosavel.

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Mosavel, M., Rafie, C., Cadet, D.L. et al. Opportunities to Reduce Cancer Barriers: Community Town Halls and Provider Focus Groups. J Canc Educ 27, 641–648 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0423-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-012-0423-3

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