A young adult community health advisor-led intervention to increase colorectal cancer screening uptake among South Asians: A feasibility study.

Objective: The present study explored the feasibility and acceptability of a young adult community health advisor (YACHA)-led intervention among South Asians aged between 50 and 75 years in Hong Kong. Methods: A pilot randomized controlled trial was conducted from July to November 2022. Thirty-six eligible participants were randomized to either the YACHA-led intervention (n â€‹= â€‹19) or the control group (n â€‹= â€‹17). The study outcomes were measured at baseline and 4 weeks after baseline. Results: A total of 36 eligible South Asian participants with a mean age of 56.00 years (SD â€‹= â€‹5.53) participated in the study. The consent rate was 100.0%, and the overall dropout rate among the participants was 11.1%. The proposed YACHA-led intervention components were implemented as planned with the intended modality and frequency. More than 90% of the participants showed the acceptance of and satisfaction with a YACHA-led intervention that they received during the month-long process of undergoing colorectal cancer screening. Conclusions: The present study revealed that it was feasible to conduct a YACHA-led intervention to increase the utlization of colorectal cancer screening by eligible South Asians in Hong Kong. A full-scale study should be conducted to reveal its effects and to explore whether the participants would continue their participation in the colorectal cancer screening program and be screened for colorectal cancer annually or biannually, as recommended by the Hong Kong government. Trial registration: This study was registered with the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR2200058241).

Effectiveness of Community Health Worker-Led Interventions in Enhancing Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake in Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake rate is substantially lower in ethnic minority populations than in the general population. Racial and ethnic minority individuals experience more barriers in obtaining a screening test for CRC when compared with the non-Hispanic White population. OBJECTIVE: To examine the effectiveness of community health worker-led interventions in improving the CRC screening uptake rate in racial and ethnic minority populations. METHODS: Five databases, EMBASE, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Scopus, and PubMed, were systematically searched, and reference lists of the identified articles were manually searched for relevant articles in May 2022. Only randomized controlled trials were included. RESULTS: A total of 10 randomized controlled trials conducted in the United States were included in this review. The findings of the meta-analysis showed that CRC screening uptake was enhanced in participants receiving community health worker-led interventions compared with those receiving no intervention (odds ratio, 2.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-3.44; P < .001). The subgroup analysis by diverse racial and ethnic groups and number of components (single vs multiple) of the community health worker-led interventions showed that multicomponent interventions were more effective in increasing the CRC uptake rate among all racial and ethnic groups regardless of their background. CONCLUSIONS: Multicomponent community health worker-led interventions can improve CRC screening uptake in racial and ethnic minority populations. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The findings of the present review show that multicomponent community health worker-led interventions are shown to be effective to improve the CRC screening uptake targeting other racial and ethnic minority groups in other countries.

Achieving equitable access to cancer screening services to reduce the cancer burden in the Asia-Pacific region: Experience from Hong Kong.

The global burden of cancer can be reduced through early detection by providing people with unrestricted access to cancer screening services. However, health disparities exist within and across countries and regions. This viewpoint article uses the Integrative Multicomponent Programme for Promoting South Asians' Cancer Screening Uptake (IMPACT) project as an example of sharing strategies, such as evidence-based multimedia interventions, community health worker-led interventions, strengthening relationships and building networks, that are being adopted to improve ethnic minorities' access to cancer screening services in Hong Kong. We find that the IMPACT project effectively increased South Asians' cancer screening uptake (e.g. the cervical cancer screening uptake rate saw a 42% increase over 5 years). Future directions for scaling up the IMPACT project have been suggested to contribute to achieving Goal 3 in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, that is, ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of all people at all ages.

Knowledge Level and Hand Hygiene Practice of Nepalese Immigrants and Their Host Country Population: A Comparative Study.

Nepali people are one of the ethnic minority immigrants of Hong Kong. This epidemiological investigation aims to determine and compare the knowledge level and hand hygiene (HH) behaviour of the Nepali people and the population of their host country (i.e., native Chinese population of Hong Kong). A total of 1008 questionnaires were collected via an online platform. The overall knowledge level of the native population towards HH was considerably higher than that of the Nepali respondents. Lower levels of knowledge in young and older people were noted. Reduced HH knowledge was also observed in people with low educational level or with comorbid illness(es). Significant differences between groups were noted in the self-reported hand washing behaviours. Regarding hand drying, more Nepalese than native Chinese respondents always/sometimes dried their hands on their clothing irrespective whether after performing handwashing in public washrooms or at home. Misconceptions and suboptimal practices on HH were prevalent in the two populations. The findings of this comparative study offer valuable information for the development of culturally sensitive health educational programs to enhance HH practices for the ethnic minorities and native Chinese population.

Eye Tracking to Evaluate the Usability of an Online Pneumoconiosis Education Booklet in a Sample of South Asian Construction Workers.

Pneumoconiosis is an incurable disease. An online educational booklet for South Asian construction workers has been developed to provide them with knowledge of the disease and its preventive measures. As eye tracking has long been applied to assess users' preferences with regard to the content of commercial products, this approach would likely offer a promising opportunity for an objective assessment of the usability of the developed booklet. This was a mixed-methods study that combined eye tracking and interviews to explore the usability of the educational booklet among South Asian construction workers. Twelve construction workers were invited to read the booklet individually on a laptop computer. An eye-tracking device was placed under the computer screen to collect eye tracking data of the participants to measure their attention to the contents of the booklet. Afterward, the participants were invited to attend a semistructured interview to explore their acceptance of and satisfaction with the booklet. Results showed that participants gazed more often and for a longer duration at the working environment that increases pneumoconiosis risk and the preventive measures for pneumoconiosis, and they paid more attention to the pictures. The workers reported that the booklet was useful and informative, and they were satisfied with its design and layout.

A community health worker-led multimedia intervention to increase cervical cancer screening uptake among South Asian women: study protocol for a cluster randomized wait-list controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Marked ethnic disparities on cervical cancer screening have been observed among South Asian women. Multiple barriers, such as language difficulties, poor access to screening services, values, and beliefs, were identified. Multimedia interventions led by community health workers (CHWs) would likely reduce screening disparities and increase cervical screening uptake among South Asian women. This study aims to assess the effects of a CHW-led multimedia intervention on the uptake of cervical cancer screening among South Asian women. METHODS: This study is a cluster randomized wait-list controlled trial. A total of 408 South Asian women from Pakistan, India or Nepal will be recruited from six ethnic minority associations. Each association will be randomized to one of the two arms: an intervention arm (n = 3) that will undergo immediate treatment (CHW-led multimedia intervention) or a wait-list control arm (n = 3) that will receive delayed treatment. Each recruited CHW will be allocated to either arm according to the association she is affiliated with. The intervention arm will receive a CHW-led intervention comprising two components: multimedia education, and monthly telephone follow-up and navigation assistance. Participants in the control arm (n = 3) will be offered the CHW-led intervention after those in the intervention arm have completed the intervention. The primary outcome measure is the uptake of cervical cancer screening. Secondary outcomes include readiness to undergo screening and beliefs regarding cervical cancer screening. Outcomes assessments will be performed at baseline, immediately after, and 3 months after completion of the intervention. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will potentially provide significant practical implications for addressing the needs and increasing the uptake of cervical cancer screening among South Asian women. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800017227 . Registered on 18 July 2018.

Development and Evaluation of Multimedia Interventions to Promote Breast and Cervical Health among South Asian Women in Hong Kong: A Project Protocol.

Recent studies conducted in the local community indicate that the uptake rates of breast and cervical cancer screening among South Asian ethnic minorities are lower than those of the general population. The development of interventions to promote these minorities' awareness of breast and cervical health and the importance of cancer screening is therefore required. This study protocol aims to develop culturally sensitive multimedia interventions to promote awareness of breast and cervical cancer prevention among South Asian women in Hong Kong, and to evaluate the outcomes of such interventions using a Reach-Effectiveness-Adoption-Implementation-Maintenance framework. By using a multimedia approach and developing socio-culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate educational materials, information related to cancer and accessible preventive measures for breast and cervical cancer is expected to be disseminated more effectively among South Asian women and ultimately increase their awareness of engaging in healthy lifestyles and taking part in cancer screening tests. Successful engagement of community partners will enhance the future sustainability of the project.