PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe all phases of a collaborative breast health intervention delivered by paraprofessionals or specially trained community health advisors (CHAs) for African American women designed to increase mammography screening.

DESIGN

Collaborative pretest, post-test breast health intervention.

SETTING

Large city in Ohio.

SAMPLE

68 African American women with a median age of 57.8 (SD = 5.28) obtained mammography screening and participated in the breast health intervention.

METHODS

Specially trained CHAs used aggressive recruitment strategies to increase mammography screening and knowledge of breast health and mammography screening in African American women aged 50 and older.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

Knowledge scores of breast health and mammography screening.

FINDINGS

Ninety women (81%) met the inclusion criteria and were recruited into the intervention, but only 68 (76%) obtained mammography screening. The women demonstrated increased knowledge by change in pre- to post-test scores. Several questions were statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Collaborative breast health interventions delivered by trained CHAs are effective in increasing screenings as well as knowledge of breast health and mammography screening in African American women. The unique role of the CHA is especially important in recruitment of hard-to-reach women and was vital to the success of the educational intervention. Most importantly, the women valued the individualized attention to their breast health and agreed to share the information with significant others. Further collaborative interventions designed to increase screenings and increase knowledge of breast health and mammography screening are needed to reduce the health disparities of later-stage detection and poorer survival of breast cancer in African American women.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Oncology nurses should build on the findings and deliver further outreach programs to increase mammography screening and knowledge of breast health in a larger number of women of lower socioeconomic status. Future research is needed to determine the influence of reminder phone calls for mammography screening. Oncology nurses should incorporate evaluation strategies at baseline and periodically throughout an intervention to provide more comprehensive data and enhance the credibility of findings. To maximize success, oncology nurses should work collaboratively with other healthcare professionals such as certified x-ray technicians and influential people in the community to increase knowledge of breast health and mammography screening.