title: African Americans' and Hispanics' information needs about cancer care.
abstract: Few studies have reported on African American and Hispanic (AA and H) populations' informational needs when seeking cancer care at an institution that offers clinical trials. Moffitt Cancer Center (MCC) sought to identify and examine the decision making process, the perceptions, and the preferred channels of communication about cancer care services for AA and H communities in order to develop a list of marketing recommendations. Five focus groups (N = 45) consisting of two AA and three H were conducted in four counties of the MCC catchment area in Tampa, FL. Participants were asked about their perceptions, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about cancer care and MCC. Focus groups were audio-recorded and verbatim transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. Similarities in responses were found between AA and H participants. Participants received general health and cancer information from media sources and word of mouth and preferred to hear patient testimonials. There were concerns about costs, insurance coverage, and the actual geographic location of the cancer center. In general, H participants were not opposed to participating in cancer clinical trials/research, whereas, AA participants were more hesitant. A majority of participants highly favored an institution that offered standard care and clinical trials. AA and H participants shared similar concerns and preferences in communication channels, but each group had specific informational needs. The perceptions and preferences of AA and H must be explored in order to successfully and efficiently increase cancer clinical trial participation.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Oncology Department, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, MRC 3044, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, 33612, FL, USA, Teresita.Antonia@moffitt.org.
authors.forename: Teresita
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Muñoz-Antonia
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ung
authors.forename: F Alejandro
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Montiel-Ishino
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Canales
authors.forename: Gwendolyn P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D022126:Access to Information; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010465:Perception