Exploring beliefs about cancer among American Samoans: focus group findings.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate answers to the following questions among American Samoans: What is cancer? What causes cancer? And what can you do to prevent cancer?


METHODS
Focus groups (four with women and four with men).


METHODS
Pago Pago and the Manu'a islands, American Samoa; Honolulu, Hawaii; Los Angeles, California.


METHODS
80 self-reported Samoan men and women over the age of 18 years, selected through non-probability purposive sampling with help from Samoan community-based organizations.


METHODS
Qualitative content analysis of focus findings to identify themes.


RESULTS
The concepts that cancer was not a Samoan illness, that failure to follow fa'aSamoa (the traditional Samoan way of life) could lead to cancer, and that a return to fa'aSamoa could prevent cancer were the prevalent themes in the focus groups.


CONCLUSIONS
The value that Samoans place on fa'aSamoa, a traditional healthy lifestyle, provides insights into the design of future intervention programs aimed at improving cancer control in this population.
Hubbell
F Allan
FA
Department of Medicine, Center for Health Policy and Research, University of California, Irvine, UCI Medical Center, 101 City Drive, Orange, CA 92868-4076, USA. fahubbel@uci.edu
Luce
Pat H
PH
McMullin
Juliet M
JM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018948:American Samoa / Q000208:ethnology; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002140:California / Q000208:ethnology; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*