Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Department of Toxicology & Cancer Biology, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
J Cancer Educ. 2023 Apr;38(2):513-521. doi: 10.1007/s13187-022-02147-x. Epub 2022 Feb 17.
Kentucky has the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the nation with the Appalachian region of the state being most affected. These rates are driven by health behaviors and inequities in social determinants of health. Herein, Appalachian Kentucky students with the University of Kentucky's Appalachian Career Training in Oncology (ACTION) program were engaged in a storytelling exercise by writing culturally framed essays. Students discussed their personal experiences with cancer and their thoughts on the causes of and potential solutions to Appalachian Kentucky's cancer disparities. Content analysis was used to identify common themes, subthemes, and subtopics in the essays regarding cancer types, causes of cancer in Appalachia, and solutions to the high cancer rates. Common cancer types experienced by the students included breast, lung, and prostate. The most frequently identified themes that drive cancer rates in Appalachian Kentucky were identified as geography, environmental factors, tobacco use, education, poverty, prevention, and mistrust. Common proposed solutions to decrease cancer rates were to increase education and awareness, screening, and tobacco cessation. Overall, through storytelling, youth gained a better understanding of cancer in their communities and envisioned culturally tailored, community-based intervention strategies that can aid in reducing the cancer burden in Appalachian Kentucky.
肯塔基州的癌症发病率和死亡率位居全美之首，该州的阿巴拉契亚地区受影响最为严重。这些数据是由健康行为和健康社会决定因素的不平等造成的。在此，肯塔基大学阿巴拉契亚肿瘤学职业培训（ACTION）项目的阿巴拉契亚地区学生通过撰写具有文化框架的文章参与了讲故事的活动。学生们讨论了他们个人的癌症经历，以及他们对阿巴拉契亚肯塔基州癌症差异的原因和潜在解决方案的看法。内容分析用于识别关于癌症类型、阿巴拉契亚地区癌症原因和解决高癌症率的文章中的常见主题、子主题和子话题。学生们经历的常见癌症类型包括乳腺癌、肺癌和前列腺癌。被确定为导致阿巴拉契亚肯塔基州癌症发病率高的最常见主题包括地理、环境因素、烟草使用、教育、贫困、预防和不信任。减少癌症发病率的常见建议包括增加教育和意识、筛查以及戒烟。总的来说，通过讲故事，年轻人更好地了解了他们社区中的癌症，并设想了针对特定文化的、基于社区的干预策略，可以帮助减轻阿巴拉契亚肯塔基州的癌症负担。
