Tailoring cancer education and support programs for low-income, primarily African American cancer survivors.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: to identify the information and stress-management topics of most interest to low-income, predominantly African American cancer survivors.

RESEARCH APPROACH

descriptive, cross sectional.

SETTING

outpatient oncology clinic in a public hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.

PARTICIPANTS

25 patients with cancer; 12 were men, 22 were African Americans, and 16 had a 12th-grade education or less.

METHODOLOGIC APPROACH

patients ranked potential topics to be included in an educational curriculum.

MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES

quantitative rankings of information and stress-management priorities.

FINDINGS

learning about cancer, understanding cancer treatments, relieving cancer pain, and keeping well in mind and body were the most highly ranked topics among those offered within the American Cancer Society's I Can Cope curriculum, which also included supportive topics such as mobilizing social support. The preferred stress-management topics were humor therapy, music therapy, meditation, and relaxation; lower-ranked topics included pet therapy and art as therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

cancer survivors appear most interested in topics specific to their illness and treatment versus supportive topics. Stress management also received high rankings.

INTERPRETATION

nurses have a key role in providing patient education and support. Tailoring education programs may better target specific needs and improve the quality of cancer care of underserved patients.