Outreach Core Activities

Overview

The Outreach Core (OC) of the Ponce Health Sciences University-Moffitt Cancer Center (PHSU-MCC) Partnership provides community outreach and education to improve cancer screening behaviors in our catchment area populations. The overall goal of the OC is to increase community cancer awareness, community engagement, and participation in cancer research and outreach in our catchment areas. Working closely with other Partnership cores and investigators, the team proposes to elevate and expand its activities to facilitate reciprocal communication between community members and partnership researchers through OC educational activities, training opportunities, supporting participant recruitment efforts, and incorporating the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) feedback on partnership research projects. Together with community members and Partnership researchers, the OC will increase cancer awareness, community engagement, and participation in cancer research in communities served by MCC (in FL) and PHSU (in PR) through the following three Specific Aims: Aim 1: To develop, deliver, and disseminate cancer education and outreach activities to our catchment area populations. The team will deliver cancer education to communities in PR and FL using evidence-based programs through multiple delivery strategies and reflecting partnership research priorities and topics of interest identified by community members. Aim 2: To enhance capacity for mutually beneficial research engagement to address cancer health priorities in our catchment areas. The team will facilitate communication between community members and partnership investigators (e.g., CAP Research Corner), support partnership research that is responsive to community needs (translational research), promote community participation in the partnership's research activities/projects, and train researchers and community members in community engagement principles. Aim 3: To expand the capacity to train community members as lay health promoters to deliver evidence-based cancer education programs in their communities. The team will train community members and community partners/organizations to deliver evidence-based cancer education (e.g., Cancer 101, OC activities) in their local communities.

Interventions

• Behavioral Cancer CientoUno (101) program
  The Spanish version of Cancer 101 consists of several modules that address cancer control and prevention, risk factors, early detection and screening guidelines, cancer diagnosis and stages, cancer treatment, cancer and genetics, cancer and chronic disease, patient and caregiver support, HPV, biobanking, and clinical trials. All modules contain a written summary with learning objectives, a PowerPoint presentation, pre- and post-module evaluations with an answer sheet, a glossary, references, and
• Behavioral Latinos y el cáncer/Hablemos de cáncer (Translation in English: Latinos and Cancer/Let's Talk About Cancer)
  This is a biennial cancer symposium focused on cancer topics important to Hispanic/Latinos. This day-long event includes a plenary session and concurrent sessions where healthcare professionals present educational information about cancer, cancer prevention, early detection methods, and other related topics.
• Behavioral ¡Salud! Serie de Charlas (Translation in English: Health! Talk Series)
  This is an educational and community outreach effort comprised of local charlas (talks) led by Hispanic/Latino healthcare professionals (e.g., the partnership Community Health Educator \[CHE\], topic experts) who provide education and answer questions about specific cancer topics. The charlas may be conducted in multiple modalities (in person, virtual, hybrid) and may be conducted in English and/or Spanish. At least three events will be held each year in the partnership locations.
• Behavioral Community/Researcher Forum: El Puente (Translation in English: The Bridge).
  The main goal of the El Puente annual event is to generate dialogue between community members and researchers about cancer treatment and cancer-focused research topics. During El Puente's presentations, researchers present their projects and data results to community members, allowing community members to react to the research, make suggestions, and express concerns.
• Behavioral Lunch and Learn Updated Recommendations Series.
  This is a virtual podcast that will discuss cancer-related recommendations and guidelines from the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). The podcasts are pre-recorded, 30 minute long, and will be in English and/or Spanish. This podcast will be hosted by the Outreach Core (OC) CHE, and feature experts who will explain the updated recommendations and active steps that community members and providers can take to facilitate adherence. This activity will begin according to the projec
• Behavioral Community Engagement (CE) Training Program for U54 Partnership Investigators
  This is a series of 2 1/2-day CE workshops designed and delivered up to 20 partnership researchers (including faculty and junior investigators) delivered across four sessions per year (6 to 10 researchers per year). Each session includes two hours of lectures (didactic material) and one hour of practice activities (practical application of the theoretical content). Session topics will include CE: concepts and principles, theoretical roots, levels, and ethics. The OC team will provide educational
• Behavioral Community Advisory Panels (CAP)
  These CAPs work closely with the (CHE) to oversee the identification, development, and coordination of the outreach activities; provide advice on the development and implementation of community needs and assessments; provide guidance for recruitment and retention of research participants; and assist in the recruitment for educational events and research and vetting community educational materials and the content of protocols for research projects.
• Behavioral Research Corner
  The goal is to provide bidirectional communication between the community and researchers to increase CE strategies into cancer disparities research through periodic meetings between community members and researchers to discuss CE strategies, research recruitment strategies, dissemination strategies, among others.
• Behavioral Community-based Training Program (CBTP) for Community Leaders and Stakeholders.
  The CBTP provides the opportunity to acquire knowledge to impart cancer prevention education (Cancer 101) and skills necessary to disseminate educational information (hands-on experiences through OC educational activities). This training will be provided in-person and remotely to increase participation. This activity will begin according to the project timeline.
• Behavioral Integrate Cancer 101 into the Stakeholders Programs
  This program will offer stakeholders a no-cost workshop of three credit hours to increase cancer prevention education among Hispanic/Latinos. CMEs will be provided virtually to increase participation. This activity will begin according to the project timeline.

Primary outcome measures

• Number of Participants that Complete the Cancer 101 Online Training Program [Time frame: At 15 Weeks from Start of Training Program]
• Number of Participants that Access the Cancer 101 Online Training Information Post Training [Time frame: At 6 months Post Training Program]
• Changes in cancer-related knowledge and self-efficacy for providing health education [Time frame: Day 1 and upon completion of Cancer 101 Online Training program, 15 weeks]
• Number of participants that attend Latinos y el cáncer/Hablemos de cáncer symposia [Time frame: Day 1]
• Number of participants that attend ¡Salud! Serie de Charlas events [Time frame: Day 1]
• Number of participants that attend El Puente events [Time frame: Day 1]
• Number of participants that access recordings of the Lunch and Learn podcast [Time frame: 1 week after posting, 1 month after posting, 6 months after posting]
• Number of U54 partnership investigator participants that attend the Community Engagement (CE) Training Program [Time frame: Day 1 and Day 3, at start of and upon completion of each Community Engagement Training Program workshop]]
• Number of community member participants that attend the Community Engagement (CE) Training Program [Time frame: Day 1 and Day 2 of at start and upon completion of each Community Engagement Training Program]]
• Number of CAP meetings held per year and number of CAP members [Time frame: Day 1]

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• Any health status
• Able to speak, read and write Spanish or English (some events are in Spanish, some are in English)
• \[Cancer 101 Online Training Program, Lunch and Learn podcast, and Stakeholders Program only\]: Have access to the internet
• Willing to complete the training modules and assessments \[Cancer 101 Online Training Program\]
• Willing to complete registration, attendance logs, and evaluations, as applicable
• \[Community Engagement Training Program, Research Corner only\]: be a researcher who received U54 funding in the proposed renewal period including Full, Pilot, and Developmental projects.
• \[Stakeholders in the Community-based Training Program and Cancer 101 Stakeholders program only\]: nurses, community health educators, clinical social workers, physicians, psychologists, among other healthcare professionals

Exclusion criteria

• Does not meet inclusion criteria

Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.

Healthy volunteers: Yes

Study design

Observational model

Cohort

Study locations

United States · 1 center

• Moffitt Cancer Center — Tampa

Puerto Rico · 1 center

• Ponce Health Sciences University — Ponce

Identifiers

NCT: NCT05832177 · MCC-22345 · U54CA163068

Primary sources (government registries)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (US NIH)

View this study on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗