|
Cancer > Cancer Screening > Group Education
Client-oriented Cancer Screening Interventions:
Group Education
On behalf of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services, a team of subject matter specialists and other scientists conducted a systematic review of published studies evaluating the effectiveness of group education in increasing screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer.
The Task Force concluded there was insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of group education in increasing screening for these types of cancer.
- Group education includes providing information in a group session about the reasons for and benefits of cancer screening as well as ways to overcome barriers to screening. It may be conducted in a lecture or interactive format and may include motivational components.
- A group session is most often conducted by a trained layperson or a health educator who uses slide presentations or other teaching aids, and often applies role modeling or other interactive techniques to inform, encourage, and motivate attendees to participate in cancer screenings.
- Group education can be given to a variety of groups, in different settings, by different types of educators with different backgrounds and styles, and can include various topics.
Breast Cancer: More Evidence is Needed to Determine the Effectiveness of Group Education to Increase Screening
Findings from the Systematic Review
- Although eight outcome measures (from seven studies that qualified for the systematic review) demonstrated a 9.0 percentage point median increase in completed breast cancer screening by mammography, one outcome from a well-designed, well-executed study demonstrated change in a negative direction and three of the remaining seven effects were relatively small and not statistically significant.
- Because of these inconsistent findings, the available studies provided insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of group education in increasing breast cancer screening by mammography.
Cervical Cancer: More Evidence is Needed to Determine the Effectiveness of Group Education to Increase Screening
Findings from the Systematic Review
- From two studies that qualified for the systematic review one outcome demonstrated a 9.0 percentage point increase in completed cervical cancer screening by Pap test and the other demonstrated no effect.
- Because of inconsistent findings and too few studies, evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of group education in increasing cervical cancer screening by Pap test.
Colorectal Cancer: More Evidence is Needed to Determine the Effectiveness of Group Education to Increase Screening
Findings from the Systematic Review
- Among the three group education interventions examined in a single study, there were demonstrated changes of -13.9 (p>0.05), 5.0 (p>0.05), and 37.0 (p<0.05) percentage points in completed colorectal cancer screening by fecal occult blood testing (FOBT).
- On the basis of a single study with inconsistent findings, the evidence is insufficient to determine the effectiveness of group education in increasing colorectal cancer screening by FOBT.
- No studies were identified to evaluate the effectiveness of group education to increase other colorectal cancer screening procedures.
Prior to and during the literature review and data analysis, the review team and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services attempt to address the key questions of what interventions work, for whom, under what conditions, and at what cost. Lack of sufficient information often leaves one or more of these questions unanswered. The Community Guide refers to these as “research gaps". Research gaps are pulled together in the form of a basic set of questions to inform a research agenda for those in the field. Each completed Community Guide review includes a section on research gaps (or issues) and this is included in final evidence review publications.
Cancer is a major public health problem in the United States. For more information on the scope of this problem, visit Background on Screening for Breast, Cervical and Colorectal Cancers.
Evidence Review:
Baron RC, Rimer BK, Breslow RA, et al.
Client-directed interventions to increase community
demand for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer
screening: a systematic review.
Am J Prev Med 2008;35(1S):34-55.
Recommendations:
Task Force on Community Preventive
Services. Recommendations for client- and
provider-directed interventions to increase
breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening
Am J Prev Med 2008;35(1S):21-5.
The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and the Task Force on Community Preventive Services and do not necessarily represent the official position of the CDC.
The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Client-oriented cancer screening interventions: group education.
www.thecommunityguide.org/cancer/screening/group-education.htm.
Last Updated: MM/DD/YYYY.
Review completed: July 2008
|
