Davis RaeAnne E, Armstrong Debra K, Dignan Mark, Norling Gretchen R, Redmond Jennifer
Kentucky Cancer Program, University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Control Program, Lexington, Ky, USA.
Prev Chronic Dis. 2006 Apr;3(2):A43. Epub 2006 Mar 15.
Despite the availability of preventive screening for colorectal cancer, compliance with screening recommendations in Appalachian Kentucky is low. Although there are various cancer education materials available, none focus on Appalachian populations and few on low-literacy populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the type of information needed in written educational materials about colorectal cancer for Appalachian populations in Kentucky.
Seven focus groups were held in two Appalachian regions of Kentucky. Thirty-four members of the community participated in four focus groups held for the general public, and 15 staff members of primary care physicians' offices participated in three focus groups. One facilitator led all seven focus groups using a moderator's guide. Participants were asked to review and rank two fact sheets and two brochures about colorectal cancer according to perceived effectiveness.
There was consensus between the general public focus groups and physician office staff focus groups about the ranking of materials. All groups preferred the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign fact sheet and brochure to the other materials. They indicated that factors such as print size, inclusion of diagrams, and clear and simple presentation of the information were important and made the materials easier to use and understand. A consensus was also reached among groups on the relative importance of types of information that should be provided in the materials.
The use of educational materials to communicate messages about cancer screening is important in increasing awareness and providing valuable health information. Members of the Appalachian community and staff members of physicians' offices preferred and recommended use of Screen for Life materials for low-literacy and Appalachian populations over other educational materials.
尽管有针对结直肠癌的预防性筛查，但肯塔基州阿巴拉契亚地区对筛查建议的依从性较低。虽然有各种癌症教育材料可供使用，但没有一种针对阿巴拉契亚人群，针对低识字率人群的也很少。本研究的目的是评估肯塔基州阿巴拉契亚人群关于结直肠癌的书面教育材料中所需的信息类型。
在肯塔基州的两个阿巴拉契亚地区举行了七次焦点小组讨论。34名社区成员参加了为普通公众举办的四次焦点小组讨论，15名初级保健医生办公室的工作人员参加了三次焦点小组讨论。一名主持人使用主持人指南主持了所有七次焦点小组讨论。要求参与者根据感知到的有效性对两份关于结直肠癌的情况说明书和两份手册进行审查和排名。
普通公众焦点小组和医生办公室工作人员焦点小组在材料排名上达成了共识。所有小组都更喜欢疾病控制和预防中心的“为生命筛查：全国结直肠癌行动运动”情况说明书和手册，而不是其他材料。他们指出，诸如字体大小、是否包含图表以及信息呈现清晰简单等因素很重要，这些因素使材料更易于使用和理解。各小组还就材料中应提供的信息类型的相对重要性达成了共识。
使用教育材料传达有关癌症筛查的信息对于提高认识和提供有价值的健康信息很重要。阿巴拉契亚社区成员和医生办公室工作人员更喜欢并推荐为低识字率和阿巴拉契亚人群使用“为生命筛查”材料，而不是其他教育材料。
