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A Rural Community Engaged in a Cancer Prevention Program
Author(s) -
Dawkins Norma L,
Carter Vivian L,
Howard Barbara
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.626.5
Subject(s) - cancer prevention , medicine , gerontology , socioeconomic status , poverty , community health , environmental health , health equity , health education , cancer screening , cancer , public health , population , nursing , economics , economic growth
Bullock Count, Alabama is one of 17 Black Belt Counties characterized by rural socioeconomic decline, acute problem of poverty and poor health. It has one of the highest cancer rates in the state and the nation. Mortality rate for this county is 229.9 compared to the state (216.9) and the nation (188.6). The purpose was to assess health knowledge, status, and behaviors of participants engaged in a cancer prevention program. Two instruments were designed 1) fact finding questionnaire and 2) a health behavior questionnaire which consisted of four sections: demographic information, health knowledge, health behaviors and health status. Both instruments revealed reliability of 0.80 and 0.83. Results indicated that 86% of respondents were female, 33% were college graduates, and 80 % earned an average annual income of $11,000 to $35,000. Participants (95%) were willing to take part in a community‐based cancer prevention program. Responses to health questions indicated that 71% associated moderate exercise and healthy diet with disease prevention, only 69 % believed that consuming five servings of vegetables a day can lower blood pressure. Approximately 50% rated their health as good while 71% indicated that their mental health was either fair or good. Community‐based intervention is paramount to the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases. This research is supported by the U54 Cancer Research Partnerships