community cancer network …issue 7 | fall 2015 addressingthecancerburdeninappalachia university of...

ACCN Successes – the ProgressWe’ve Made

APPALACHIACOMMUNITY CANCER NETWORK

Addressing the cancer burden in AppalachiaISSUE 7 | FALL 2015

Regional Offices

University of KentuckyNancy Schoenberg, [email protected] State UniversityElectra Paskett, [email protected] State UniversityEugene Lengerich, [email protected]

Virginia TechKaren Roberto, [email protected] Virginia UniversityStephenie Kennedy, [email protected]

CONTACT USACCN Central Office

University of KentuckyMark Dignan, PICC444 Roach Building800 Rose StreetLexington, KY [email protected]

The ACCN News is a biannual publication with support from NCI Grant# U54 CA153604. For more information, visithttp://www.accnweb.com/

ACCN “Understanding Cancer” Education Initiative StillGoing Strong in Rural Appalachia

As the latest funding cycle for ACCN comes toa close, we decided to put together anewsletter issue on the successes of theprogram – successes from our researchproject, our trainees, our community outreachefforts, and on a personal note, successes ofour own dedicated staff. In developing thisissue, we reviewed the research, outreach, andtraining activities conducted during the fundingperiod, and the strength and breadth of theprogram is clear. ACCN directed educationprograms and events through the CommunityOutreach Program to educate communitymembers on cancer prevention and cancer

screening; trainees in the Appalachian CancerScholars Program wrote publications on theirresearch, conducted poster presentations, andsubmitted grant applications for additionalresearch funding – all under the mentorship ofACCN senior investigators; and ACCNinvestigators developed numerous researchgrants to leverage funding for cancer healthdisparities research. In this case, the numbersreally do tell the story, and reveal thecommitment the ACCN team demonstrated inconducting education, research, and trainingactivities:

ACCN clinical partners: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14ACCN community partners: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49Research grants received by ACCN senior investigators: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24Dollar amount of grants received by ACCN senior investigators: . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$24 Million +Trainee research grants awarded: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Trainee research publications: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97Trainee poster presentations: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106Cancer education materials used for community outreach: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192Copies of cancer education materials distributed to community members: . . . . . . . . . . .31,578Cancer education and outreach activities conducted: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .403Community participants in ACCN outreach activities: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33,606

This data represents the dedication and accomplishment of the ACCN team of investigators, staff,community partners, and trainees in working together to reduce cancer health disparities in theregion. The theme of this newsletter highlights the success of ACCN in these program areas. Asalways, we thank you for your support of our efforts!

Understanding Cancer, the ACCN resourcedesigned to educate rural Appalachians aboutcancer, continues to reach communitymembers in the five-state ACCN region andbeyond. Created by request from communitycoalitions to develop a tool with easier to readbasic cancer information, Understanding Cancerprovides users with a five-chapter manual thatincludes information about cancer, prevention,early detection, treatment, and communityresources. It also includes a glossary of plainlanguage terms, pre- and post-test surveyassessments, Power Point slides, and a CD withall of the materials.

To disseminate and evaluate the resource,ACCN staff trained community partners usinga train-the-trainer model. The sessions focusedon how to use the resource and ways to tailorit for the needs of their communities. Theoutcome of these training sessions wererecognized with a Best Abstract Award andoral presentation at the 2014 InternationalCancer Education Conference. To date morethan 250 trainers in KY, OH, PA, VA, and WVreceived the resource and instruction on howto educate the public in one-on-one, group, orcommunity settings.

The ACCN Virginia Regional Office (ACCN-VA), based at Virginia Tech, achieved amazingsuccess with the dissemination and evaluationproject and much of this was directly related tothe partnership and support of ACCN-VACommunity Advisory Board members.Members representing Mountain Empire OlderCitizens, Inc., the University of Virginia (UVA)Cancer Center, and the UVA College at Wiseworked closely with ACCN-VA program staffto conduct a day-long training that was alsoteleconferenced to participants in a ruralcounty. From that training of 44 participants,the trainees have used Understanding Cancerby conducting 54 individual encounters and 19

group presentations which have reached atotal of 469 people. Among those traineeswas an Associate Professor of Nursing withthe Virginia Appalachian Tricollege NursingProgram. She incorporated the resource intothe curriculum and trained 129 of her nursingstudents on how to use Understanding Canceras a resource for local communities. Studentsthen held their own trainings, utilizingUnderstanding Cancer, as part of a gradedassignment for the class. Examples of student-community engagement using the resourceinclude presentations to seventh and tenthgrade students on cancer prevention;educating co-workers about breast cancer;sharing information about cancer prevention,screening, and treatment with women at alocal fitness center; talking with familymembers about skin cancer; distributinginformation about breast cancer tocongregants of their churches; and giving apresentation about colorectal cancer to agroup at a local bank. The support ofUnderstanding Cancer by ACCN-VACommunity Advisory Board memberscontinues by providing oversight for thetranslation of the resource to Spanish andarranging additional continuing educationaltrainings for trainees to keep them updated on

“It takes a village” is a well-known saying toreflect the combined efforts of many people tomeet a common goal. This is true in ACCNthrough the collective efforts of project staffacross the five state region. PrincipalInvestigators (PI), Program Managers, ProjectCoordinators, and research staff focused onreducing cancer health disparities arerecognized for their outstanding achievement.ACCN offers its most heartfelt congratulationsto these staff members for theiraccomplishments:

Marcy Bencivenga,Research ProjectManager, and Lou Ann Jeremko an ACCNCommunity Advisor in Pennsylvania, wererecently named co-chairs for the Community-Clinical Linkages Workgroup for thePennsylvania State Comprehensive CancerPlan. The workgroup is focused on improvingthe HPV vaccination and colon cancerscreening rates.

Jordan Baeker Bispo, Project Coordinatorfor ACCN, has been accepted into the PhDprogram in Epidemiology at the University ofMiami. In her current position, Jordan washeavily involved with data collection and theimplementation of both the Walk by Faith andRibbons of Faith programs in Kentucky. Herresearch interests include evaluating socialdeterminants of health from an epidemiologicperspective, particularly the role of stressthroughout the life course as a mediator ofdisease risk in populations that experiencehealth disparities.

Mira Katz,ACCN Co-Investigator, waspromoted to Professor in the Division ofHealth Behavior and Health Promotion in theOhio State University (OSU) College of Public

Health. Dr. Katz is serving as Chair of theGraduate Studies Committee at the OSUCollege of Public Health. A recent recipient ofa Pelotonia grant, Dr. Katz (with Dr. PaulReiter) is exploring a new approach to cervicalcancer prevention by developing anintervention for HPV self-testing amongwomen from underserved communities, suchas Appalachia Ohio, who have receivedinfrequent or no prior cervical cancerscreening.

Stephenie K. Kennedy,ACCN Regional PIat West Virginia University (WVU), wasrecently asked to serve on a LeadershipCouncil for the Self-Made Network, a newlyCDC-funded national network focused ondecreasing cancer and tobacco-relateddisparities among low socioeconomic statuspopulations. Additionally, Stephenie and thedepartment of Cancer Prevention and Controlat WVU received a $2.65M CDC grant fororganized approaches to increase colorectalcancer screening. The newly funded WVProgram to Increase Colorectal CancerScreening (WV PICCS) will focus on strategicpartnerships with health systems, providers,and insurers to implement evidence-basedinterventions over the next five years. In 2013Stephenie completed her doctoral degree inhigher education administration with anemphasis on educational leadership. Herdissertation research focused on team-basedscience and the role of the PI on thecollaboration satisfaction of team members.

Electra Paskett,ACCN Regional PI at OSU,along with colleagues at Indiana University, wasawarded funding beginning July 2015 to initiatethe Comparative Effectiveness of Interventions toImprove Screening Among Rural Women project

to study adherence to cancer screeningguidelines in 32 rural counties in northwestOhio and northeast Indiana. This five-yearstudy will test the comparative effectiveness ofa tailored interactive computer programdelivered via DVD plus or minus patientnavigation to increase guideline-basedscreening rates for breast, cervical and coloncancer among women age 50 to 74 living inthese rural Ohio and Indiana counties.Additionally, Dr. Paskett was one of 24 seniorscientists who participated in PersonalizedCareer Discussions for early careerinvestigators at the 2015 American Associationof Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meetingto meet world-renowned cancer researchexperts.

Karen Roberto,ACCN Regional PI atVirginia Tech, was named a UniversityDistinguished Professor in April 2015. Thisrank is awarded to no more than one percentof the faculty whose scholarly achievementhave attracted national and/or internationalrecognition. Her research has given importantinsight into elder abuse, the unspoken effectsof illness, and the hidden health conditions ofaging people and their families. As a familygerontologist she uses basic questions to get aclear picture of rural older women, familyrelationships and caregiving, elder abuse, andcoping with chronic conditions such asosteoporosis, pain, falls, and cancer. She hasbeen cited more than 1,400 times (at least sixtimes in proposals for federal legislation) andstories including her research have appeared intop publications such as The Wall St. Journal,New York Times, Washington Post, LosAngeles Times, National Public Radio, andDow Jones MarketWatch.

ACCN Community Advisory Committee andUnderstanding Cancer Program Evaluation Committeemembers with the Best Abstract Award for the 2014International Cancer Education Conference.

Vandalia-Con attendees visit the Strollin’ Colon inParkersburg, WV

338 participants were given guided tours andreceived information about colon cancerscreening. The events also provided anopportunity for local health educators toconduct personalized wellness plans to addressmodifiable risk factors for colon cancer.

In Pennsylvania, the Crawford HealthImprovement Coalition chose the inflatablecolon because of its novel appeal. Withtechnical support and grant writing assistancefrom the ACCN, the coalition received fundingthrough the Pennsylvania Colorectal CancerControl Program to raise awareness andeducate the public. In June 2014, the inflatablecolon exhibit was displayed at the AmericanCancer Society Relay for Life event inTitusville, reaching 80 community membersfrom rural Crawford, Forest, Warren andVenango counties. At this event, participants

also received information about smokingcessation and alcohol services.

In West Virginia, the inflatable colon (“Strollin’Colon”) made its debut in March 2014 at aColorectal Cancer Awareness Month programat the West Virginia University Health SciencesCenter. By June 2015 the Strollin’ Colonvisited 10 WV communities and was viewedby 2,100 participants. These events rangedfrom large to small, and venues included theWV State Fair, community health fairs, Relayfor Life, and Vandalia-Con, a Steampunkconvention to raise funds for cancer screeningprograms.

The interactive educational exhibit waseffective in capturing attention in thesecommunities. Participants are first surprisedwhen they see a large, pink colon to walk

through, but the display quickly puts them atease to learn and talk about the importance ofcolon cancer screening. As stated by acoalition member in Pennsylvania, “sometimesit takes something larger than life to really grabpeople’s attention and get them talking.”

Inflatable Colon Learning Tool (Continued from page 4)recent developments in cancer research andchanges in screening guidelines; participants inthe program are encouraged to attend theseeducational workshops every six months.

You know you are on to something whenpeople keep asking for more and that isexactly what has happened with UnderstandingCancer, from the continued adaptation of theresource and how it may be used, to requestsfrom coalitions and outreach staff forcolorectal cancer information that resulted inthe development of Understanding ColonCancer, an easy-to-read resource available as a

table-top flipchart or Power Point slides. Thisin turn has led to requests for creation ofadditional cancer specific flipcharts. The moststriking success from using UnderstandingCancer is the empowerment when theacquisition of knowledge promotes action, asdescribed by a participant. “At age 63, I hadnever had a colonoscopy. I knew by that timethat I should already have had two! I had neverreally been seriously ill in my life, and I guess Ibelieved—against all reason—that I justwouldn’t get sick. Besides, it seemed like sucha lot of trouble! But then I attended anUnderstanding Cancer in Appalachia training at

which one of the trainers said, ‘If everyonewould get a colonoscopy, we could prettymuch eradicate colon cancer.’ That caught myattention, and I began to think that maybe Ishould get my doctor to schedule one. Andso, thirteen years after I should have, I had myfirst colonoscopy in which a polyp—laterdetermined to be precancerous—wasremoved. Because of that precancerous polypI was told that I need to repeat the test in fiveyears. Will I do it? You betcha! I’m now abeliever.” Stories like this reinforce the value ofthis project.

ACCN Staff Success Highlights

To track the most up to date achievements ofthe ACCN and our partners, please “like”Appalachia Community Cancer Network(ACCN) on FaceBook.

To join the ACCN listserv for additionalinformation on ACCN activities, please sendyour name, address, and email address toMary Ellen Conn at [email protected]

ACCN Has Been a Constant in the Career Path of Dr.Janice Krieger as She Reaches New Heights

Janice Krieger, PhD,an AppalachianCancer ScholarsProgram trainee, hasbeen involved withACCN longer thanmost investigatorsand staff. Janice firstbecame involvedwith ACCN (at thattime, it was knownas the Appalachian

Cancer Network – ACN) in 2004 when shewas a student at Penn State University. Sheapplied for an ACN pilot project at the time,working with Gene Lengerich and Ann Ward,ACN senior investigators at Penn State, tointerview older adult women and caregiversabout the decision to participate in clinicaltrials. She also conducted an experimentalstudy to develop better strategies forexplaining randomization – and this studybecame the core of her dissertation researchfor her PhD. After receiving her PhD at PennState, she accepted an Assistant Professorposition at Ohio State University, andcontinued her work with ACCN through theOhio ACCN regional office. She receivedfunding for an additional pilot project in 2011,again on the topic of clinical trialscommunication, titled “Development of aFamily-based Clinical Trials Intervention forRural, Appalachian Cancer Patients (TheDECIDE Project)”, and was mentored byElectra Paskett (Ohio State University) andNancy Schoenberg (University of Kentucky)for this pilot project. The project identifiedbarriers and facilitators to clinical trialsenrollment among rural, Appalachian cancerpatients, and sought to understand how familymembers influenced cancer patients’ decisionmaking about clinical trials participation. Janiceis currently an Associate Professor and is stillinvolved with ACCN – albeit from a distance,at the University of Florida. She was recentlynamed one of two University of FloridaFoundation Term Professors, and is the firstprofessor in her College to receive this honor.ACCN talked with Janice in a “Q &A” sessionto gather insight into how her community-based participatory research work with ACCNimpacted her career.

Q: Describe your interaction withACCN community partners duringyour time with ACCN. What didthey teach you?A: Through my association with ACCN, I havehad the opportunity to connect with communitymembers throughout Appalachia in formalmeetings as well as through conducting research.I have always appreciated and admired howgenerous community members have been withtheir time. I feel that some of the most interestingperspectives on the research problems I studyhave come directly from community members.For example, during my first pilot project, I wasfocused on the use of language in the informedconsent process because that was the majorfocus of the literature at the time. However,through talking with various community membersand patients in Appalachia, I learned that familydynamics are an even bigger component of theclinical trials decision-making process and thatthose dynamics are not being addressed whenpatients are faced with important decisions intheir cancer care.These insights led me to applyfor a second pilot grant in which I focused onfamily communication in the context of cancerclinical trials.

Q: What does being in ACCNmean to you in your career? Whatdid you learn from mentors,investigators, or other trainees inthe ACCN?A: ACCN has been an intellectual home for me.Choosing to study health disparities is a riskydecision for doctoral students and early-careerscholars.Working with communities often takeslonger than other types of research and requirestrade-offs that can mean papers take longer topublish. I feel that my ability to advance in mycareer with a focus on health disparities has beenlargely due to the mentoring and support of thesuperior investigators in the ACCN (specifically, theopportunity to conduct research and write paperswith them) as well as the inspiration that comesfrom interacting with senior scholars who aresuccessfully doing research that you admire.

Q: What is the one pearl ofwisdom you use in your everydaywork that you learned from yourtime with ACCN?A: That’s a tough one because there is morethan one. If I have to pick one… Watching ACCNinvestigators interact with one another, trainees,and community members has always been auniquely wonderful experience for me.Theinvestigators are academic superstars, yet theywere always open to (and actively solicited) inputfrom individuals with diverse backgrounds andvarious levels of experience.At meetings, I feltthat everyone was given an opportunity tocontribute to the conversation and thosecontributions were valued.The attitude ofopenness and willingness to continually learn iswhat enables ACCN to successfully incorporatetrainees and community members into theirresearch programs and is something I try toemulate.

Q: What advice or directionwould you give new trainees whowant to work with rural andmedically underservedpopulations?A: To find a senior mentor (or mentors) thatyou admire and work with them as much aspossible.You learn so much by just being aroundinvestigators who have done the kind of researchthat you want to do in the community.Theiradvice will be crucial to adapting your researchquestions to be feasible within the context.Therecan often be community gatekeepers that youngscholars do not anticipate at the beginning of aproject. Mentors have a better understanding ofthe community dynamics and realistictimeframes.

ACCN congratulates Janice on her continuedcareer success. Her longstanding work as anACCN trainee and collaborations with ACCNmentors, investigators, staff, and communitypartners demonstrates her dedication toconducting community-based participatoryresearch in Appalachia. Her success also servesas a prime example of the effectiveness of theAppalachian Cancer Scholars Program inmentoring trainees as they strive for theircareer development goals.

Dr. Janice Krieger

Oralia Dominic, PhD Credits ACCN as a Partner in HerCareer Success

When asked about herexperience as a traineein the AppalachianCancer ScholarsProgram (ACSP),Oralia G. Dominic,PhD, MS, MA states“the ACCN hasprovided me withopportunities that haveliterally opened somany doors.” Thesebenefits includeleadership training,collaboration withexperienced cancerhealth disparitiesresearchers, and

funding/grants. Working along renownedcancer researchers and community leaders, shelearned how to be a better behavioral scientistand health disparities researcher.

She experienced challenges also, especially inthe area of existing data. Many of the “mostrecent” data available are at least 2-3 years oldand often do not contain enough informationon race and ethnicity necessary forbehaviorally-targeted interventions. She notesthat improvement in existing data structures isimportant because of (1) changingdemographics, including an aging population;(2) long term health care; (3) the

prevalence of chronic diseases like certaincancers and associated diabetes.

Dr. Dominic indicates her work withcommunity members has been incrediblyrewarding. They show her that “peoplematter.” Her research aims to providecommunity members with effective strategiesto keep them safe and healthy. She firmlybelieves, “one premature cancer death is onetoo many.”

Her advice to trainees who want to work withrural and medically underserved populations isthat they must be able to persevere becausethe end product is worth the effort. “There isnothing more rewarding than to join effortsthat increase access to quality health care forall. Finding effective strategies andmethodologies for cancer prevention,treatment, and control are key to addressinghealth disparities.” She is often reminded bycommunity members of the saying, “the workis plentiful but the workers are few.” Dr.Dominic believes that addressing the shortagein a diverse health care workforce is essential.

Currently, Dr. Dominic is spearheading theclinical interventions and health disparitiesinterventions for Health Equity and QualityServices at Highmark in Delaware,Pennsylvania and West Virginia. She finds thiswork very rewarding. “Their interventions areprovider-, member-, and community-based. For

Highmark, closing the gaps in health caredisparities is a priority.”

She was recently recognized with severalnational awards for her work in health caredisparities. The American Society of PreventiveOncology (ASPO) presented Oralia with twoawards during its 39th annual conference inMarch 2015. ASPO aims to foster thedevelopment of investigators and professionalsinvolved in cancer prevention and control, andto exchange and translate scientific informationto reduce the burden of cancer. Dr. Dominicwas given the American Cancer Society’sCalle/Rodriquez Memorial Minority TravelAward for a Top Ranked Abstract and the2015 Best Scientific Poster Presentation.

In early July, Dr. Dominic was one of tenwomen inducted into the 2015 League ofUnited Latin American Citizens (LULAC)Women’s Hall of Fame. LULAC is the largestand oldest Hispanic organization in the UnitedStates. It works to advance the economiccondition, educational attainment, politicalinfluence, housing, health, and civil rights ofHispanic Americans. She was selected due toher service to the community throughinitiatives like Highmark’s Seven Steps to GoodHealth.

Dr. Dominic says that the ACCN, especially theACSP, supported her on all fronts and helpedher gain a new appreciation for research toreduce cancer health disparities.

Oralia Dominic, withACSP PI and mentor,Gene Lengerich, displaysher award for Best PosterPresentation at the 2015American Society ofPreventive Oncologyconference.

The Faith-Based Initiative to Promote Health inAppalachia: Footprints and Future StepsIn January 2012, the Appalachia CommunityCancer Network (ACCN) partnered withchurches in Appalachian regions of Ohio,Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Virginia and WestVirginia to implement The Faith-Based Initiativeto Promote Health in Appalachia.The projectwas implemented in two waves, with Ohio andPennsylvania beginning first (Phase 1), andKentucky, Virginia and West Virginia startingabout a year later (Phase 2). A total of 663participants were enrolled from 28 churchesacross the five states. Thirteen of the churchesparticipated in Walk by Faith, a program

focused on weight loss and increasing physicalactivity, and fifteen received the Ribbons of Faithprogram focused on cancer screening.

The Walk by Faith program encouragedparticipants to walk more and learn aboutphysical activity and healthy eating. Monthly

education sessions, fitness activities, andcooking demonstrations were held at eachchurch. Each participant received a pedometer,a food and exercise journal, a nutrition guide,and a water bottle. Participants had access toFaithfully Living Well, a website customized foreach church containing a physical activity andweight tracker, health calculators, healthsurveys to provide tailored feedback, health-related articles, forums, and incentives thatcould be earned by participants via a pointssystem that rewarded attendance, exercise, andwebsite usage. The Ribbons of Faith participants Continued on page 5

received cancer screening information, healthpassports, and attended a health fair offered attheir church or in the local community.Monthly education sessions, focused aroundthe cancer awareness months, providedinformation about risk, symptoms, prevention,screening, and informed decision making.Additional sessions included family healthhistory and encouraging others to get cancerscreening.

Along with ACCN staff, local communityexperts and church volunteers from within theWalk by Faith and Ribbons of Faith churches ledthe program activities for the first year of theprogram. Once the twelve sessions werecompleted, participants attended a celebrationevent held in each church to recognizevolunteers and participants, and to sharesuccess stories. After the series of educationsessions and celebration events werecompleted, a follow-up set of measurementsand surveys were conducted. The programswere then passed along to church volunteers

to continue within their church congregationsfor another one to two years to see if theprograms could be conducted withoutadditional assistance. Phase 1 churches have allcompleted their programs, and Phase 2churches will be finished by November 2015.

At education sessions, participants completedshort surveys about the session topics andwere given an opportunity to providecomments about the project, request support,or suggest changes. An analysis of thecomments showed that the proportion ofpositive comments increased dramatically fromPhase 1 (43%) to Phase 2 (83%) in Walk byFaith, and overall, 64% of comments receivedwere positive remarks about the program.

Participants commented that the sessions wereinformative and enjoyable, that the events hadquality presenters, and that the project staffwere helpful. The majority of issues reportedfrom Phase 1 participants were related totechnical difficulties with pedometers and the

Faithfully Living Well website, which werequickly resolved. The staggered programimplementation allowed us to address theseissues and improve the experience for Phase 2participants.

Using feedback from participants and theirown shared observations, ACCN staffdeveloped toolkits containing the mostsuccessful and well-received components ofboth Walk by Faith and Ribbons of Faith. Focusgroups were held in two Ohio churches withparticipants who had received the programs inorder to help guide the development of thetoolkits. These toolkits are being piloted inselect churches in Ohio and Pennsylvania, andfeedback from this pilot will be used to revisethe final toolkits. Toolkits will then bedistributed to all participating churches inbinders and electronically so that each churchreceives the most successful and appealingaspects of both programs.

This initiative could not have been successfulwithout the support of church leaders, churchnavigators, community experts and dedicatedACCN staff. Each church had one or morevolunteers who coordinated with ACCN staffto implement community events and keepparticipants engaged in the program. Inaddition, community-based staff workedenthusiastically to collect data and maintainpositive relationships with participants.

“The Ribbons of Faith program hasmade me more cognizant of the types ofcancer, diagnostic procedures, andpotential treatments for this disease.”

“I am a diabetic and when I startedthis program my HgbA1C was 13(wow). Six months later it is 5.9 (nowconsidered borderline diabetic). Also, Istarted out walking 20min a day. Inow do 1hr-2hr per day. I feel muchbetter and have more energy.”

“Thanks to theWalk by Faith programwe are so much more aware of“moving!” By keeping our pedometerson, we take notice of days spending toomuch time in the chairs, and get upand go. Many thanks to this wonderfulprogram!”

Inflatable Colon Proves to Be Popular Learning Tool inAppalachian OH, PA, and WV

Utilizing a creative approach to increaseknowledge about colon cancer and coloncancer screening, ACCN staff collaboratedwith partners to display an inflatable walk-through colon exhibit at various communityevents in Appalachian Ohio, Pennsylvania andWest Virginia. Between August 2014 and June2015, more than 2,500 participants touredthe inflatable colon exhibit at 13 communityevents. Participants were given guided toursby ACCN staff, local healthcare professionals,and trained volunteers. These facilitated toursexplained how colon cancer progresses andhow a polyp in the colon can be detected earlyand removed during a colonoscopy, before itpotentially becomes cancer. Before and after

these tours, participants completed surveys toassess their colon cancer knowledge andscreening intentions. The surveys showedparticipants increased their knowledge aboutcolon cancer and were more likely to talkabout colon cancer and screening with theirfamilies and others in their communities.

In Ohio, the inflatable colon exhibit (“SuperColon”) was displayed at the Meigs CountyFair in August 2013 and Powell’s Food Store inApril 2014. The Ohio ACCN received a seedgrant from Ohio State University Extension tosupport this initiative in collaboration with theMeigs County Cancer Initiative and the MeigsCounty Extension. Between these two events,

Meigs County Cancer Coalition volunteers giving toursof the Super Colon to community members in Pomeroy,OH.

Dr. Janice Krieger

Regional Offices

community cancer network …issue 7 | fall 2015 addressingthecancerburdeninappalachia university of...

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