Targeted Alignment of Communication Can Improve Uptake of Men's Cancer Screenings in Marginalized Populations

Targeting outreach and prevention efforts for historically marginalized populations and leveraging stakeholder insight and experience to develop appropriate marketing efforts are just 2 of the ways cancer institutes can engage the community in men’s health screenings, according to a session at the Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) 47th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit.

Angelo Moore, PhD, MSN, RN, NE-BC, program manager, Office of Health Equity at Duke Cancer Institute, discussed how one of his goals was to truly involve the community in educating others on the clinical guidance, primarily for prostate cancer screenings, since it was not done much in past years.

“Sometimes you have to make some bold changes,” Moore said. “Sometimes when things are done a certain way, people don’t like to change.”

These changes included a different program name, which saw a huge return rate in screenings, according to Moore. The original name was “Men’s Health Initiative,” which caused many people in the community to question what the program was focused on. Moore suggested the name change of “Men’s Health Screening” for a more straight-forward title and better communication with his audience.

In addition, a new multi-pronged marketing strategy was a main focus over the past year, according to Kearston L. Ingraham, MPH, program evaluator at Duke Cancer Institute. Some examples that Ingraham highlighted included creating a marketing committee, printing material in English, Spanish, and Mandarin, and culturally tailored promotional materials to target medically underserved communities.

“Our community partners immensely helped with messaging and getting the word out,” Ingraham said. “We were able to go to different grocery stores, retail stores, and other organizations around the community to continue to spread the word on these screenings.”

Comparing data insights from 2018 to 2019, Ingraham mentioned how men in the older age ranges saw a significant increase and attendance in screenings, showing that many of the marketing initiatives worked. Further, Moore added how the usual return rate is no more than 30%; however, the 2019 data showed a 56% return rate.

Although COVID-19 impacted many organizations negatively, Moore felt that COVID-19 was an opportunity for the Duke Cancer Institute to reach populations that usually are not spoken to.

“We realized that reaching out to these underserved populations, such as Latinx and Asian American, we needed to have translation services in language they understand and interpretation services at an event,” Moore said.

REFERENCE

Ingraham KL, Moore A. Hosting a Successful Men’s Health Screening: Strategic Alignment of Health Communication via Culturally Tailored Media, Marketing, and Community Engagement Efforts. Presented at: ACCC 47th Annual Meeting & Cancer Center Business Summit; virtual: March 4, 2021.