Carter-Bawa Lisa, Valenzona Francis, Lucca-Susana Miriam, Kwok Gary, Shoulders Elan N
Cancer Prevention Precision Control Institute, Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery & Innovation, 123 Metro Blvd, 6th Floor, 6400 Pod, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA.
Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA.
J Cancer Educ. 2025 Jun 28. doi: 10.1007/s13187-025-02679-y.
Persistent disparities in cancer awareness, screening uptake, and early detection disproportionately affect underserved communities in the USA. While traditional health education approaches play a critical role, they often fail to engage historically marginalized populations in culturally resonant ways. Innovative strategies that leverage creativity, trust-building, and community participation are urgently needed. In 2024, the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Department at the John Theurer Cancer Center launched "Paint and Sip," an arts-based cancer education series designed to increase engagement and awareness in diverse communities. Events were held in accessible, non-clinical venues and combined guided painting sessions with culturally tailored cancer education, delivered by trained community health workers (CHWs). During natural pauses in the painting process, CHWs led 15-min discussions on cancer prevention topics, including screening guidelines, risk factors, and genetic testing. All participants completed a brief social determinants of health screening questionnaire and were offered patient navigation services to address unmet needs and support screening follow-through. Since its launch, the series engaged 191 participants across multiple community settings. Attendance averaged 25 per event, with strong retention and word-of-mouth promotion. Among participants, 82% were not up to date with cancer screening, and 62% accepted navigation support. Qualitative feedback highlighted the events as "uplifting," "judgment-free," and "a new way to learn about health without fear." CHWs reported increased participant openness and discussion around stigmatized topics. The Paint and Sip model illustrates the promise of arts-based engagement as a novel strategy for advancing cancer education and screening in underserved communities. By embedding creativity into health education, the model fosters trust, enhances message retention, and bridges awareness with action. Further research is warranted to evaluate long-term impact, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
在美国，癌症认知、筛查普及和早期检测方面持续存在的差距对服务不足的社区造成了不成比例的影响。虽然传统的健康教育方法发挥着关键作用，但它们往往无法以具有文化共鸣的方式让历史上被边缘化的人群参与进来。迫切需要利用创造力、建立信任和社区参与的创新策略。2024年，约翰·休勒癌症中心的社区外展与参与（COE）部门推出了“绘画与啜饮”活动，这是一个以艺术为基础的癌症教育系列活动，旨在提高不同社区的参与度和认知度。活动在方便可达的非临床场所举行，将有指导的绘画环节与经过文化定制的癌症教育相结合，由训练有素的社区卫生工作者（CHW）进行授课。在绘画过程中的自然停顿期间，社区卫生工作者就癌症预防主题进行了15分钟的讨论，包括筛查指南、风险因素和基因检测。所有参与者都完成了一份简短的健康筛查社会决定因素调查问卷，并获得了患者导航服务，以满足未满足的需求并支持后续的筛查。自推出以来，该系列活动在多个社区环境中吸引了191名参与者。每场活动的平均出席人数为25人，保留率高且有口碑传播。在参与者中，82%的人未进行最新的癌症筛查，62%的人接受了导航支持。定性反馈强调这些活动“令人振奋”、“无评判”且“是一种无畏地了解健康的新方式”。社区卫生工作者报告说，参与者在围绕有污名化的话题上更加开放并愿意进行讨论。“绘画与啜饮”模式展示了以艺术为基础的参与作为一种在服务不足的社区推进癌症教育和筛查的新策略的前景。通过将创造力融入健康教育，该模式促进了信任，提高了信息保留率，并将认知与行动联系起来。有必要进行进一步的研究，以评估其长期影响、可扩展性和成本效益。
