Buena Vida! Magazine Evaluation and Cancer Genetics Network (CGN) Recruitment Study
This study sought to evaluate Buena Vida, a bilingual and culturally and literacy appropriate magazine developed in 2001 by the Texas Cancer Genetics Consortium to recruit Hispanics to the Cancer Genetics Network (CGN) registry. Using a pool of Spanish-speaking Hispanic participants from tumor registries based in San Antonio, this study aimed to recruit participants into the CGN registry by randomly selecting individuals into three different “condition” groups. Condition X1 received standard materials via mail, X2 received X1 materials plus a Buena Vida magazine, and X3 received X2 materials and phone contact. Six hundred individuals, 300 males and 300 females, were randomized to one of three conditions (X1, X2, or X3) with 200 participants per condition, 100 males and 100 females into each of the conditions. The study evaluation has two parts. A process evaluation involves developing a database to monitor the sample identification, recruitment and follow-up activities. An outcome evaluation is the completion of the standard CGN registry materials, consisting of receiving completed CGN Registry materials and also a brief series of questions regarding the effectiveness of Buena Vida and the phone contact (for X3 only) as recruitment tools for the CGN Registry.
Grant
1 U24 CA 78142 2003-04Principle Investigators
Alexander Miller, MD Director of Surgical Oncology and Director of the Cancer Prevention and Risk Assessment Clinic, Texas Cancer Clinic (at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center for this project)Co-Investigators
Cancer Genetics Network Cancer Information Service Cancer Therapy and Research Center Cancer Registry from the Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas Dr. Ian Thompson, SABOR PI, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San AntonioLocation
Hispanic tumor registrants from San Antonio who are considered high risk (having had some form of cancer or having family history of cancer)Conclusions
Completed CGN pedigree surveys and consent documents were returned by 153 participants – an overall 33% response rate (153/458). There were 46 registrants from the X1 group (a 30% response rate), 43 registrants from the X2 group (a 28% response rate), and 64 registrants from the X3 group (a 42% response rate). Seventy-seven percent of the eligible 153 study respondents reported that they were white, while 35% answered race as unknown or other. However, 100% of the sample acknowledged being Latino, predominantly of Mexican-American ethnicity (52.5%), of the Catholic faith (78%), and having at least a high-school education. About 50% of the total sample reported having a personal history of cancer, and 67% had a family history of cancer. Considering cancer history across the treatment conditions, subjects in X1 also had slightly higher rates of personal and family cancer history than X2 or X3; however, this did not positively correlate to increased interest in participating in the national CGN cancer registry. Only 5% of all study subjects chose to complete the pedigree and consent documents in Spanish, with the majority selecting English materials.