Grant Number:	1R01CA108696-01 Interpret this number
Primary Investigator:	Schoenberg, Nancy
Organization:	University Of Kentucky
Project Title:	An Appalachian Cervical Cancer Prevention Project
Fiscal Year:	2004

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite its nearly preventable status, 13,000 new cases of invasive cervical cancer are diagnosed each year, with 4,600 deaths. While nationally, women have experienced a 75% reduction in cervical cancer mortality in the past 5 decades, rural Appalachian women continue to sustain low rates of Pap testing and disproportionately high cervical cancer rates. To reduce this cervical cancer burden experienced by middle aged and older Appalachian women, we propose to undertake a community participatory, tailored, faith based intervention entitled "Faith Moves Mountains." While extensive literature has established the association between rural culture and religiosity, aside from programs involving African-American churches, surprisingly few scientifically based interventions have located disease prevention activities within the trusted, sustainable, rural religious institutions of rural Appalachia. To address this missed opportunity, this project will develop a random, stratified sample of 50 congregations with 600 participants to: (1) Examine the factors (both barriers and assets) that influence the use of Pap tests; (2) Administer a faith-based lay health advisor intervention that is community-participatory, theoretically informed, and culturally consistent; (3) Evaluate the efficacy of the intervention in a group-randomized experimental design. These 3 aims correspond to 3 phases, a developmental, ethnographically oriented phase; a community-participatory intervention phase; and a qualitative and quantitative evaluation phase. With a multidisciplinary team of social scientists, community leaders, physicians, and cancer control experts, the results from the proposed project will enable researchers and communities to better address the barriers that prevent rural women from receiving Pap tests and recommended follow-up care; draw on local community assets to promote the use of Pap tests; and establish a community-based model that can be extrapolated to other rural, underserved communities for cancer prevention.




Barriers to cervical cancer screening among middle-aged and older rural Appalachian women.
Authors: Studts C.R. , Tarasenko Y.N. , Schoenberg N.E. .
Source: Journal Of Community Health, 2013 Jun; 38(3), p. 500-12.
PMID: 23179390
Related Citations

Appalachian women's perspectives on breast and cervical cancer screening.
Authors: Schoenberg N.E. , Kruger T.M. , Bardach S. , Howell B.M. .
Source: Rural And Remote Health, 2013; 13(3), p. 2452.
PMID: 24016336
Related Citations

A community-based randomized trial of a faith-placed intervention to reduce cervical cancer burden in Appalachia.
Authors: Studts C.R. , Tarasenko Y.N. , Schoenberg N.E. , Shelton B.J. , Hatcher-Keller J. , Dignan M.B. .
Source: Preventive Medicine, 2012 Jun; 54(6), p. 408-14.
PMID: 22498022
Related Citations

Community strategies to address cancer disparities in Appalachian Kentucky.
Authors: Schoenberg N.E. , Howell B.M. , Fields N. .
Source: Family & Community Health, 2012 Jan-Mar; 35(1), p. 31-43.
PMID: 22143486
Related Citations

Deconstructing fatalism: ethnographic perspectives on women's decision making about cancer prevention and treatment.
Authors: Drew E.M. , Schoenberg N.E. .
Source: Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 2011 Jun; 25(2), p. 164-82.
PMID: 21834356
Related Citations

Factors associated with participation in cancer prevention and control studies among rural Appalachian women.
Authors: Leach C.R. , Schoenberg N.E. , Hatcher J. .
Source: Family & Community Health, 2011 Apr-Jun; 34(2), p. 119-25.
PMID: 21378508
Related Citations

Predictors of cervical cancer screening for rarely or never screened rural Appalachian women.
Authors: Hatcher J. , Studts C.R. , Dignan M.B. , Turner L.M. , Schoenberg N.E. .
Source: Journal Of Health Care For The Poor And Underserved, 2011 Feb; 22(1), p. 176-93.
PMID: 21317514
Related Citations

Perspectives on Pap test follow-up care among rural Appalachian women.
Authors: Schoenberg N. , Baltisberger J. , Bardach S. , Dignan M. .
Source: Women & Health, 2010 Sep; 50(6), p. 580-97.
PMID: 20981638
Related Citations

Faith Moves Mountains: an Appalachian cervical cancer prevention program.
Authors: Schoenberg N.E. , Hatcher J. , Dignan M.B. , Shelton B. , Wright S. , Dollarhide K.F. .
Source: American Journal Of Health Behavior, 2009 Nov-Dec; 33(6), p. 627-38.
PMID: 19320612
Related Citations

Appalachian women's perceptions of their community's health threats.
Authors: Schoenberg N.E. , Hatcher J. , Dignan M.B. .
Source: The Journal Of Rural Health : Official Journal Of The American Rural Health Association And The National Rural Health Care Association, 2008 Winter; 24(1), p. 75-83.
PMID: 18257874
Related Citations