Increasing Breast Cancer Self Awareness And Screening In A Vulnerable Population Through Faith Based Community Outreach

Breast cancer is one of the leading cancer diagnoses for women in the United States. Certain vulnerable populations are at an increased risk for breast cancer mortality, including homeless and African American women. Providing healthcare navigation, cancer education, and connecting with faith-based communities has shown to increase cancer screening rates and knowledge in these vulnerable populations. The purpose of this QI project was to provide breast cancer screening education and access to care with the goal of increasing breast cancer screening rates and breast self-awareness among at-risk women in a midwestern Michigan community attending faith-based organizations. The project was implemented at three different faith-based communities, including a community soup kitchen serving homeless people and two predominantly African American churches. An educational presentation was created to deliver tailored breast cancer information. Participants were also provided the opportunity to be enrolled for a free mammogram. The intervention was delivered virtually via a PowerPoint presentation on a secure zoom session. Enrollment forms were provided for eligible participants to be screened with a mammogram. Participant's attitudes, knowledge, and confidence towards breast cancer screening were measured before and after the intervention with surveys. A statistically significant increase in participant's knowledge regarding breast cancer screening was found among the 15 total participants. This project demonstrates that education in conjunction with faith-based communities can increase breast cancer knowledge and screening in vulnerable populations to reduce breast cancer mortality.