title: A cancer center's approach to engaging African American men about cancer: the men's fellowship breakfast, Southeastern Michigan, 2008-2014.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite disproportionate rates of cancer morbidity and mortality among African American men, few community-based efforts have been developed and sustained to educate African American men about cancer. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center implemented a series of breakfasts to improve cancer awareness, screening, and education among African American men. This article describes the rationale for and history of the community intervention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The 21 breakfasts were held from 2008 through mid-2014 in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ypsilanti ranks below Michigan and the nation on most socioeconomic indicators, although most residents are high school graduates (88% in Ypsilanti and 96.5% in Ann Arbor). African American men in Ypsilanti have higher death rates for diseases associated with poor diet and inadequate physical activity compared with Ypsilanti whites and general populations in Michigan and the nation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a multicomponent qualitative process evaluation including staff meetings, conversations with participants, and focus groups. We collected 425 post-event surveys to evaluate the breakfasts quantitatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants were African American (85%), were aged 51 to 70 years (54%), had health insurance (89%), and had some college education (38%). Fifty-three percent of participants reported interest in the breakfast topics including nutrition; 46%, prostate cancer; 34%, colorectal cancer, and 32%, pain management; 62% reported willingness to participate in a clinical trial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  African American men are interested in learning about health and are willing to attend a health-focused breakfast series. The Men's Fellowship Breakfast is a promising strategy for bringing men together to discuss cancer screening and risk reduction.
authors.affiliation: Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan, Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine, 2800 Plymouth Rd, Building 16, Room 400S-15, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Telephone: 734-615-7974. E-mail: alangfor@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Aisha T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Langford
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Institute for Research on Men's Health, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Derek M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Griffith
authors.affiliation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Derrick D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
authors.forename: Effat Id-Deen
authors.initials: EI
authors.lastname: Braxton
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D062408:Breakfast; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care