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Evaluation of the Effect of a Promotora-led Educational Intervention on Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Among Predominantly Hispanic Primary Care Patients on the US-Mexico Border

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Abstract

Despite declining cervical cancer rates, ethnic minorities continue to bear an unequal burden in morbidity and mortality. While access to screening is a major barrier, low levels of knowledge and cultural influences have been found to play a part in underutilization of preventive services. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of a promontora-led educational intervention on cervical cancer and human papillomavirus knowledge in mainly Hispanic females attending a primary care clinic. One hundred ten females were recruited from the waiting room of a busy primary care clinic and invited to attend individual or small group educational sessions. Participants completed knowledge surveys pre- and post-intervention. An overall evaluation of the educational session was also completed. Following the educational intervention, participants showed an improvement in knowledge scores from a mean score of 10.8 (SD 3.43) out of a possible score of 18 to a mean score of 16.0 (SD1.51) (p < 0.001). 94.5 % of participants rated as excellent, the presentation of information in a way that was easy to understand, most reported that it was a good use of their time and that it lowered their anxiety about testing for early detection of cervical cancer. An educational intervention delivered by well-trained Promotora/Lay health care worker significantly improves patient’s cervical cancer and HPV knowledge and can be a useful tool in patient education in the clinical setting especially with high risk populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, TX, USA

    Jennifer Molokwu, Eribeth Penaranda, Silvia Flores & Navkiran K. Shokar

Authors
  1. Jennifer Molokwu
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  2. Eribeth Penaranda
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  3. Silvia Flores
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  4. Navkiran K. Shokar
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Correspondence to Jennifer Molokwu.

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The Institutional Review Board approved the study.

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Molokwu, J., Penaranda, E., Flores, S. et al. Evaluation of the Effect of a Promotora-led Educational Intervention on Cervical Cancer and Human Papillomavirus Knowledge Among Predominantly Hispanic Primary Care Patients on the US-Mexico Border. J Canc Educ 31, 742–748 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0938-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0938-5

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