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North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program

An Effective Practice

Description

The North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program (NC-BCS) uses lay health advisors to increase breast cancer screening among rural African American women over age 50. Black women have higher mortality rates from breast and cervical cancer, due in large part to late-stage diagnosis. The program uses a lay health advisor network of older African American women to promote routine Pap testing and mammography to women they know. Lay health advisors are trained to educate peers and connect them with resources for screening. NC-BCS also trains medical staff to provide consistent referrals for routine mammography and follow-up for abnormal screening tests.

Goal / Mission

The goal of the North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program is to increase breast cancer screening among older African American women.

Results / Accomplishments

More than 140 lay health advisors have been trained through the NC-BCS program. In a pre-post survey of over 800 women, those in the intervention communities showed an overall 6% increase in community-wide mammography use between 1994 and 1997. Low-income women in the five intervention counties showed an 11% increase in mammography use over women in five comparison counties.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Primary Contact
Jo Anne Earp, Sc.D, Principal Investigator
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
School of Medicine CB# 7295
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
450 West Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7295
(919) 966-3903
jearp@email.unc.edu
http://rtips.cancer.gov/rtips/programDetails.do?pr...
Topics
Health / Cancer
Health / Women's Health
Health / Prevention & Safety
Organization(s)
University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
Source
American Journal of Public Health
Date of publication
2002
Date of implementation
1994
Geographic Type
Rural
Location
North Carolina
For more details
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11919066?itool=...
Target Audience
Women, Racial/Ethnic Minorities

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Related Content for: North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening Program

An Effective 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 and/or promise in achieving the program goal in one or more localities.
  2. The results from an evaluation of the program include quantitative measures of improvement in outcome of interest (i.e. increase in voter registration, not just delivery of voter registration drive) and/ or the outcome measure is increased or improved compared to the baseline measurement or the control group but the difference is not statistically significant.
Michigan Health Improvement Alliance