Evaluation of “Cuidandome”: A communitywide program to promote breast and cervical cancer screening among Latinas in Dane County, WI

Principal Investigator: Ana P. Martínez-Donate

This study will test the effectiveness of Cuidándome, a communitywide intervention to promote breast and cervical (BCC) screening among Latinas in Dane County, WI. Cuidándome uniquely combines small-group education delivered by lay health advisors (LHA), a communitywide media campaign, and cultural competency training for health care providers. This study will also estimate BCC screening rates among Latinas in Dane County and identify factors that contribute to underutilization of BCC preventive services within this population. The study methods include 1) a prospective, longitudinal study of a cohort of Latinas participating in the LHA-led educational activities (N=300), with repeated measures on BCC screening and targeted mediators completed before, immediately after, and 3- and 15-months following participation in the educational component of the program; 2) a cross-sectional phone survey on BCC screening and exposure to the intervention conducted with a population-based sample of Latinas in Dane County (N=400); 3) tracking the number of Latinas receiving BCC screening services in the main health care agencies in Dane County before, during, and after the implementation of Cuidándome; and 4) collecting quantitative and qualitative process data to assess the scope, quality, and integrity of the intervention.

Research Partners: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
Funding source: Wisconsin Partnership Fund – MERC, Grant # 05112009
Funding period: 05/01/09 – 04/30/2011