Community-Based Multi-Risk Factor Cancer Control Projects
There is strong evidence that race and ethnicity correlate with persistent and often increasing health disparities among U.S. populations. Despite notable progress in the overall health of Americans in general, continuing disparities exist in the burden of illness and death in minority communities. Hispanic/Latino populations in the U.S. have not been adequately involved in cancer prevention and control activities. Awareness of cancer issues has not reached some groups and, as a result, many Hispanics/Latinos have been slow to adopt preventive practices such as cancer screening or nutritional modification. For Hispanics, economic factors further complicate cultural barriers to prevention and treatment. Perhaps the greatest barrier to health care is the fact that 30.4 percent of the Hispanic/Latino population was uninsured in 2002, making Hispanics the largest portion of uninsured persons in the country.
Under the direction of Dr. Amelie Ramirez from 1992 to 2000, the NCI-funded National Hispanic Leadership Initiative on Cancer (NHLIC): En Acción initiated the first comprehensive assessment of cancer risk factors among the major populations of Hispanics/Latinos. This multi-site research and community outreach program developed and implemented state-of-the-art cancer prevention and control strategies tailored to these diverse groups. Picking up where NHLIC left off in the battle against cancer among Hispanics, Redes En Acción, our 5-year NCI-funded Special Populations Networks initiative, expanded upon the existing infrastructure of NHLIC to establish a national network of cancer research centers, community-based organizations and federal partners. The purpose of the initiative is to promote research, training and awareness activities in a major commitment to set, prioritize and effect an agenda of cancer issues impacting Hispanics/Latinos all over the country.
More research and education are needed to assess the degree to which Hispanics are underserved in different locations and to promote allocation of resources for cancer prevention, screening, early diagnosis and treatment. In addition, public and patient education is needed to improve advocacy skills for individuals and groups that are interested in promoting greater medical access for Hispanics/Latinos.
Current Projects
- Salud America! The National Latino Childhood Obesity Prevention Research Network
- Redes En Acción: The National Latino Cancer Research Network
- A Patient Navigator Intervention to Improve Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment Outcomes Among Hispanic Women
Past Projects
- Reducing Cancer Health Disparities by Disseminating Evidence-Based Approaches for Energy Balance
- Redes En Acción: The National Hispanic/Latino Cancer Network
- Special Interest Project II: Latinos in a Network for Cancer Control
- National Hispanic Leadership Initiative on Cancer (NHLIC): En Acción
- A Su Salud
