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The Evolution of Un Abrazo Para La Familia: Implications for Survivors of Cancer

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Abstract

Un Abrazo Para La Familia™ (Abrazo) is a 3-h modular preventive intervention designed for low-income caregivers who are co-survivors of cancer. Here we (1) consider the benefit to survivors of cancer, that is, the care recipients who participate in Abrazo; (2) summarize the literature specific to research outreach to low-income, underserved populations when they are faced with cancer; and (3) describe current steps being taken in Southern Arizona to reach these populations via Abrazo. Specific to considering the benefit to care recipients, we analyzed care recipient data derived from three existing cohorts of Abrazo participants. Analyses of the combined cohorts of these data demonstrate that Abrazo is effective with care recipients given statistically significant higher cancer knowledge and self-efficacy scores, pre- vs. post-intervention. We can now report benefit to care recipients who participate in Abrazo. This allows us, with confidence, to expand research recruitment efforts to include care recipients as part of the Abrazo intervention in our efforts to serve low-income, underserved populations when faced with cancer.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

  1. “Hispanic and Latinx/o/a are used interchangeably without preference or prejudice” Cancer Facts & Figures for Hispanics/Latinos 2018–2020. American Cancer Society; 2018, p. 1.

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Funding

Research leading to the development of Un Abrazo Para La Familia (Abrazo) was supported by a Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) for Individual Senior Fellowship (grant number F33CA117704) from the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute awarded to Catherine A. Marshall, PhD. The Southern Arizona Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure® provided funding awarded to the El Rio Health Center Foundation for Abrazo to be first implemented and evaluated in Arizona, providing two cohorts of cancer survivor data. Funding from the Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute was awarded to Familias en Acción for the replication of Abrazo in Oregon, providing one cohort of cancer survivor data. Development of this manuscript was supported in part by a grant from the Merck Foundation Alliance to Advance Patient-Centered Cancer Care awarded to Heidi A. Hamann, P.I. (grant number 011569-00001).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Catherine A. Marshall & Alma A. Gonzalez

  2. Department of Family Studies and Human Development, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Melissa A. Curran

  3. Un Abrazo Para La Familia, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Juanita Trejo & Alma A. Gonzalez

  4. Department of Psychology, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Juanita Trejo & Heidi A. Hamann

  5. Department of Family and Community Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Julie Armin

  6. Community and Systems Health Science Division, College of Nursing, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Terry A. Badger

  7. Department of Psychiatry, The University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Terry A. Badger

  8. Pima County, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Francisco A. R. Garcia

Authors
  1. Catherine A. Marshall
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  2. Melissa A. Curran
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  3. Juanita Trejo
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  4. Alma A. Gonzalez
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  5. Julie Armin
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  6. Heidi A. Hamann
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  7. Terry A. Badger
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  8. Francisco A. R. Garcia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Catherine A. Marshall.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

Human subjects protection programs of the University of Arizona (Tucson cohorts) and the Oregon Health & Science University and the Knight Cancer Institute (Portland cohort) determined that as evaluation studies, the studies reported here were exempt from review by their respective institutional review boards and did not require ethics committee oversight.

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Marshall, C.A., Curran, M.A., Trejo, J. et al. The Evolution of Un Abrazo Para La Familia: Implications for Survivors of Cancer. J Canc Educ 36, 1075–1080 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01737-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01737-x

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