Grant Number:	5R01CA066038-04 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Sorensen, Glorian
Organization:	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Project Title:	Breast Cancer Education Through Organized Labor
Fiscal Year:	1998

The Dana-FarberCancer Institute, in collaboration with the Service Employees International Union, proposes the Breast Cancer Education Project (BCEP) toassess the effects of a worksite breast cancer education program targeted toward low-income women and women of diverse ethnic/cultural groups. The purpose of this program is to raise awareness of breast cancer, enhance knowledge of the importance of early detection, and increase adherence to mammography screening guidelines among underserved women. The BCEP employs a Peer Health Adviser model in which members of the target community are recruited and trained to provide health education and outreach. This model emphasizes the importance of culturally relevant intervention programs, the function of social networks in promoting behavior change, and the need for employee involvement in sustainable worksite education programs. In this study, a randomized controlled design is used in which worksites are the unit of randomization, intervention and analysis. Thirty worksites, recruited to the study through SEIU, will be randomly assigned to intervention or comparison groups. The primary outcome variable examined will be mammography practices and compliance with recommended screening guidelines over time. These variables will be assessed among women aged 52-63 through administration of a Health Habits Questionnaire. Intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional factors influencing breast cancer screening behaviors will also be assessed, based on surveys of employees, management and union representatives. A process evaluation wil assess the extent to which the intervention was implemented and the costs associated with implementation. The Breast Cancer Education Project stands apart from other worksite education programs as a theory-driven model with an innovative approach to constructing culturally and linguistically appropriate programs for underserved women. Collaboration with the SEIU provides a unique opportunity to access service worksites and their employees, and to build on previously-established educational strategies used by labor in communicating effectively with their membership. Products of this study will include a tested worksite intervention model for use within an ethnically diverse population, and an implementation manual with program materials for use in other worksites.




Do Social Network Characteristics Predict Mammography Screening Practices?
Authors: Allen,J.D. , Stoddard,A.M. , Sorensen,G. .
Source: Health Education & Behavior : The Official Publication Of The Society For Public Health Education, 2008 Dec; 35(6), p. 763-76.
PMID: 17620665
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Promoting breast and cervical cancer screening at the workplace: results from the Woman to Woman Study.
Authors: Allen J.D. , Stoddard A.M. , Mays J. , Sorensen G. .
Source: American Journal Of Public Health, 2001 Apr; 91(4), p. 584-90.
PMID: 11291370
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The relationship between social network characteristics and breast cancer screening practices among employed women.
Authors: Allen J.D. , Sorensen G. , Stoddard A.M. , Peterson K.E. , Colditz G. .
Source: Annals Of Behavioral Medicine : A Publication Of The Society Of Behavioral Medicine, 1999 Summer; 21(3), p. 193-200.
PMID: 10626024
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Intention to have a mammogram in the future among women who have underused mammography in the past.
Authors: Allen J.D. , Sorensen G. , Stoddard A.M. , Colditz G. , Peterson K. .
Source: Health Education & Behavior : The Official Publication Of The Society For Public Health Education, 1998 Aug; 25(4), p. 474-88.
PMID: 9690105
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