title: Key informant interviews with coordinators of special events conducted to increase cancer screening in the United States.
abstract: Special events such as health fairs, cultural festivals and charity runs are commonly employed in the community to increase cancer screening; however, little is known about their effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to assess the activities, screening outcomes, barriers and recommendations of special events to increase breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening. In-depth interviews were conducted nationally with 51 coordinators of events in June to September 2012. Health fairs and screening days were the most common events conducted, primarily for breast cancer education. Goals were to increase awareness of cancer screening and reach special populations. Evidence-based Community Guide strategies to increase cancer screening employed were: small media, reducing structural barriers, one-on-one education or group education. For each event that provided screening on-site or through referral, a mean of 35 breast, 28 cervical and 19 colorectal cancer screenings were reported. Coordinators made recommendations for further evaluation of special events, and most plan to conduct another special event. These data are novel and provide baseline documentation of activities and recommendations for a commonly used community-based cancer screening intervention that lacks evidence of effectiveness. Additional research to better understand the use of special events for increasing cancer screening is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341 cescoff@sph.emory.edu.
authors.forename: Cam
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Escoffery
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rodgers
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Michelle C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Kegler
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haardörfer
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Katherine B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Roland
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Katherine M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Georgina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Department of Health Policy and Management and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 39341.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
mesh_terms: D000846:Anniversaries and Special Events; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis