Development and Feasibility of a Community-Based Breast Cancer Prevention Program for Asian American
Other Titles
Development & Feasibility of a Community-Based, Culturally Tailored Breast Cancer Program [Title Slide]
Abstract
Background. Asian American (AsA) women have the fast-growing breast cancer incidence in the United States, yet face persistently low screening uptake, the slowest improvements in mortality, and underrepresentation in cancer prevention research. Building upon a culturally developed cancer screening program for Hmong women, we partnered with a multi-ethnic AsA Community Advisory Board (CAB) to address these gaps and co-develop a culturally tailored breast cancer education and prevention initiative for diverse AsA communities. This abstract provides an overview of the Breast Cancer Awareness and Risk Education for Asian Americans (CARE) Program and describes its iterative refinement during pilot testing.
Methods. CARE is a community-delivered, culturally informed educational program designed to improve breast cancer knowledge, screening adherence, and risk reduction behaviors. The curriculum covers (1) Breast Cancer 101, (2) Screening Recommendations, and (3) Risk Reduction Strategies, with an emphasis on physical activity. CARE uses interactive, workshop-style sessions integrating Asian health beliefs and culturally tailored messaging. The full program lasts five hours, delivered in-person at community sites, either in a single visit or across two sessions. Pilot testing occurred over three cohorts, with iterative refinement after each cohort based on post-program focus group feedback. Recruitment used social media, in-store engagement, word of mouth, and outreach through CAB networks.
Results. Over three months, three cohorts were conducted, reaching 34 participants. Minor revisions were made after each cohort; after the third cohort, no substantial changes were identified, indicating content stability. Recruitment and retention rates (100%) were high, showing strong acceptability and feasibility of an in-person, group-based educational format for Asian American women.
Conclusion. The CARE program has successfully completed its development and refinement phase and is ready for formal pilot testing to evaluate its preliminary impact on breast cancer knowledge, screening behaviors, and risk reduction practices. Strong partnerships with community organizations remain critical for effective implementation and long-term sustainability of culturally tailored cancer prevention programs for Asian American populations.
Notes
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References:
1. Giaquinto AN, Sung H, Newman LA, et al. Breast cancer statistics 2024. CA Cancer J Clin. 2024;doi:10.3322/caac.21863
2. Sheng J, Wang H, Hitchcock M. Promoting cancer prevention and control: A systematic review of physical activity interventions for Asian Americans. Cancer Causes Control. (Accepted);
3. Sheng J, Qin S. Asian American women’ experiences and perceptions of physical activity: A systematic review of the qualitative evidence. West J Nurs Res. (Accepted);
4. Sheng J, Lei H, Wu HS, Abshire DA, Wirth MD, Heiney SP. Physical activity and breast cancer prevention among Chinese American women: A qualitative descriptive study. Qual Health Res. 2023;doi:10.1177/10497323231197372
5. Lor M, Khang PY, Xiong P, Moua KF, Lauver D. Understanding Hmong women's beliefs, feelings, norms, and external conditions about breast and cervical cancer screening. Public Health Nurs. Sep-Oct 2013;30(5):420-8. doi:10.1111/phn.12043
6. Lor M, Bowers B. Evaluating teaching techniques in the Hmong breast and cervical cancer health awareness project. J Cancer Educ. Jun 2014;29(2):358-65. doi:10.1007/s13187-014-0615-0
Sigma Membership
Beta Eta at-Large
Lead Author Affiliation
University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Pilot/Exploratory Study
Keywords:
Implementation Science, Public and Community Health, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Women's Health, Breast Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Health Education, Asian American Women
Recommended Citation
Sheng, Jingxi; Lor, Maichou; and Cadmus-Bertram, Lisa, "Development and Feasibility of a Community-Based Breast Cancer Prevention Program for Asian American" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 203.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/203
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-24
Development and Feasibility of a Community-Based Breast Cancer Prevention Program for Asian American
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background. Asian American (AsA) women have the fast-growing breast cancer incidence in the United States, yet face persistently low screening uptake, the slowest improvements in mortality, and underrepresentation in cancer prevention research. Building upon a culturally developed cancer screening program for Hmong women, we partnered with a multi-ethnic AsA Community Advisory Board (CAB) to address these gaps and co-develop a culturally tailored breast cancer education and prevention initiative for diverse AsA communities. This abstract provides an overview of the Breast Cancer Awareness and Risk Education for Asian Americans (CARE) Program and describes its iterative refinement during pilot testing.
Methods. CARE is a community-delivered, culturally informed educational program designed to improve breast cancer knowledge, screening adherence, and risk reduction behaviors. The curriculum covers (1) Breast Cancer 101, (2) Screening Recommendations, and (3) Risk Reduction Strategies, with an emphasis on physical activity. CARE uses interactive, workshop-style sessions integrating Asian health beliefs and culturally tailored messaging. The full program lasts five hours, delivered in-person at community sites, either in a single visit or across two sessions. Pilot testing occurred over three cohorts, with iterative refinement after each cohort based on post-program focus group feedback. Recruitment used social media, in-store engagement, word of mouth, and outreach through CAB networks.
Results. Over three months, three cohorts were conducted, reaching 34 participants. Minor revisions were made after each cohort; after the third cohort, no substantial changes were identified, indicating content stability. Recruitment and retention rates (100%) were high, showing strong acceptability and feasibility of an in-person, group-based educational format for Asian American women.
Conclusion. The CARE program has successfully completed its development and refinement phase and is ready for formal pilot testing to evaluate its preliminary impact on breast cancer knowledge, screening behaviors, and risk reduction practices. Strong partnerships with community organizations remain critical for effective implementation and long-term sustainability of culturally tailored cancer prevention programs for Asian American populations.
Description
Asian Americans face rising breast cancer rates and limited culturally tailored prevention programs. With a multi-ethnic Community Advisory Board, we co-developed the CARE, a community-based, culturally tailored breast cancer prevention program. CARE underwent iterative refinement across three pilot cohorts (n=34), with minor adjustments after each based on feedback. No major changes emerged after the third cohort. High recruitment and 100% retention show feasibility and acceptability.