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Results from an Evaluation of the Georgia Colorectal Cancer Control Program’s Community Education and Outreach Events, 2013

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Abstract

Although public health practitioners commonly use community education and outreach events to promote cancer screening, the effectiveness of this strategy remains unclear. This study evaluated 23 outreach events, conducted as part of the Georgia Colorectal Cancer Control Program. Of the estimated 1778 individuals who attended these events, those ages 50–75 were eligible to participate in a telephone survey 3 months after attending an event. Surveys measured colorectal cancer (CRC) risk status, CRC screening history at the time of the event, seeking or obtaining CRC screening at 3-month follow-up, and participants’ knowledge of their CRC screening status. Of the 335 individuals contacted for this evaluation, 185 completed the survey. Eighty participants (43.2 %) were at elevated risk for CRC and 99 participants (53.5 %) were at average risk. Of the 99 average-risk participants, the majority (n = 69) were not due for CRC screening at the time they attended an event because they had previously received screening within the recommended time intervals. Thirty average-risk participants were due for CRC screening, either because they had never been screened before (n = 19) or because they were due for rescreening (n = 11). Approximately half of these 30 participants who were due for screening either sought (n = 6, 20.0 %) or obtained screening (n = 8, 26.7 %) 3 months following the event. Community education and outreach events may play an important role in motivating participants to seek or obtain CRC screening, but unless priority audiences are identified and recruited, events may attract people who are already compliant with CRC screening.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge with gratitude our partners at the Regional Cancer Coalitions of Georgia and the individuals who participated in this evaluation. This evaluation was supported by a contract with the Georgia Department of Public Health (#40500-032-13120764), which was funded by a cooperative agreement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; #2U58DP002067). Portions of this project’s work involve the Colorectal Cancer Control Program initiative supported by CDC funding. The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Sciences and Health Education Department, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop 1518-002-5AA, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA

    Rebecca C. Woodruff, April Hermstad, Sally Honeycutt & Michelle C. Kegler

  2. Office of Cancer Prevention, Screening and Treatment, Georgia Department of Public Health, 1100 Second Street, Cochran, GA, 31014, USA

    Melody Brown

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  1. Rebecca C. Woodruff
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  2. April Hermstad
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  3. Sally Honeycutt
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  4. Melody Brown
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  5. Michelle C. Kegler
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Correspondence to Rebecca C. Woodruff.

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The Emory University Institutional Review Board approved all study procedures.

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Woodruff, R.C., Hermstad, A., Honeycutt, S. et al. Results from an Evaluation of the Georgia Colorectal Cancer Control Program’s Community Education and Outreach Events, 2013. J Canc Educ 32, 392–400 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0966-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-015-0966-1

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