My Guide for Latina Breast Cancer Survivors in Community Settings: Protocol and Rationale for a Study Evaluating a Community-Engaged Approach to Increase Demand and Satisfaction of an Evidence-Based Health Program for Latina Breast Cancer Survivors

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Latina women. Nonetheless, few evidence-based, culturally and community-informed interventions are easily accessible for this underserved group. eHealth interventions offer scalable approaches for delivering supportive care.Evaluation of such interventions using community engaged (CE) approaches can increase diffusion and uptake of interventions in minority populations through their meaningful participation in all phases of the project. This study aims to enhance existing community academic partnerships to evaluate the feasibility of a community-informed eHealth program among Latina breast cancer survivors (BCS) engaged through CE procedures compared to nonCE, academically driven approaches.METHODS: Using a CE approach, 1 academic institution and 2 community-based organizations finalized the study protocol and guidelines of study involvement. The resulting design was an 8week study evaluating two markers of feasibility (demand and user satisfaction) among participants engaged through a CE approach with community partners versus participants interacting with the academic partner only. This study has a recruitment goal of 80 participants evenly distributed across both groups. Demand or uptake is defined as study enrollment, retention rates, and program use in minutes across the two conditions. User satisfaction or acceptability is measured with a questionnaire administered at the end of the study. Recruitment began in January 2020 and is expected to be completed by December 2021. We expect to submit study results for publication by Spring 2022.DISCUSSION: CE may be a viable approach to increase user satisfaction and demand of eHealth interventions among Latina BCS, with the potential to address the limited supportive services for this population at a systemic level. CE initiatives can have a potential positive impact on the cost and scalability of such interventions and highlight the importance of academic community partnerships in building resource capacity and addressing health disparities in vulnerable communities.

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