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Forsyth County Cancer Screening (FoCaS) Project

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

The Forsyth County Cancer Screening (FoCaS) Project is funded by the National Cancer Institute to improve the use for breast and cervical cancer screening among low-income, minority women aged 40 and older. Older, low-income, and minority women are less likely to be screened, resulting in more late-stage cancers and lower survival rates. The program includes public health clinic strategies such as training for health care providers, educational games, posters and literature in waiting rooms, abnormal test protocols, and one-on-one counseling sessions and personalized letters for follow-up testing for women with abnormal results. Community outreach components include monthly classes, community parties with information booths, a church program, educational brochures and mass media, targeted mailings, and one-on-one educational sessions in women’s homes.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the FoCaS Project is to improve breast and cervical cancer screening participation among low-income women.

Results / Accomplishments

Pre- and post-intervention surveys show that the proportion of women reporting regular use of mammography increased in the intervention city (31% to 56%, p < 0.001) over the four years of the intervention; there was a non-significant increase in mammography among women living in the comparison city. An increased proportion of women in the intervention city received a Pap smear within the past 3 years (73% to 87%, p < 0.003) but women in the comparison city saw a non-significant decrease in screening.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences
Primary Contact
Electra D. Paskett, PhD
1590 N High Street
Suite 525
Columbus OH 43210
614-293-3917
electra.paskett@osumc.edu
Topics
Health / Women's Health
Health / Prevention & Safety
Health
Organization(s)
Wake Forest University School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences
Source
National Cancer Institute Research-tested Intervention Programs
Date of publication
1999
Date of implementation
1995
Location
Forsyth County, NC
For more details
http://rtips.cancer.gov/rtips/programDetails.do?pr...
Target Audience
Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

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  4. Cervical Cancer Control for Vietnamese American Women
  5. Prevention Care Management
  6. Alabama Breast and Cervical Cancer Coalition (ABCCC)

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An Evidence-Based Practice meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes at a minimum: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program implementation steps, and outcomes that have demonstrated program success in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures showing improvement in the outcome(s) of interest after the implementation of the program (i.e. increase in smoking cessation, not just the delivery of a smoking cessation program). The outcome measure(s) is/are compared at relevant time periods before and after the intervention or program implementation. Alternatively, the evaluation study compares the outcome(s) between an intervention group and an appropriate control group.
  3. The study is of peer-review quality and presents numbers in a scientific manner; measurements of precision and reliability are included (e.g. confidence intervals, standard errors), results from statistical tests show a significant difference or change in the outcome measure(s), and relevant point estimates and p-values are presented. Note: if the results from an evaluation of a program are presented in a scientific manner and the outcome measure is improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant, the practice is classified as effective and not evidence-based.