Recruitment of African Americans into XXXX screening.

@entity1 @entity263 @entity5
PURPOSE: Both incidence and mortality rates for @entity263 are significantly higher in African American @entity1 than in white @entity1 . This report identifies community sites for the optimal recruitment of African American @entity1 into @entity263 screening. DESCRIPTION OF STUDY: A descriptive study was conducted, providing an educational program to 1369 African American @entity1 , 1264 of whom completed a survey on demographic data, @entity263 knowledge, and @entity263 screening history. The programs were offered at six different types of community sites, including various work sites, churches, housing projects, National Association for Advancement of Colored @entity1 (NAACP) sites, barber shops, and a state fairground. Free @entity263 screening was offered to all @entity1 . RESULTS: The advertised mass screening site (state fairground), the most common method used nationally to recruit African American @entity1 for @entity5 screening, was the least effective site, with only 16 @entity1 completing the survey. Of the 1264 @entity1 completing the survey at all community sites, 597 @entity1 (47%) did so at work sites and 438 (35%) did so at churches. Per site, the largest percentage of @entity1 who had never been screened was at work sites (n = 276, 46%) and NAACP sites (n = 22, 33.8%). The highest percentage of @entity1 who obtained free screening were at the state fairground (14 of 16), churches (256 of 438), and work sites (336 of 597). The most @entity263 were detected at the housing projects, where 3 of 38 (7.9%) @entity1 who were screened received diagnoses of @entity263 . CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: To reduce prostate mortality rates in African American @entity1 , healthcare providers need to make a concerted effort to increase @entity263 education and screening in this population. To be effective, recruitment of African American @entity1 must move from a provider/health site orientation to a consumer/community orientation. These findings indicate that recruitment strategies are more successful if efforts are based in the community or where a large number of African American @entity1 live and/or work. Because a history of screening has been shown to be a predictor for current participation, programs need to target @entity1 who have not had previous screening ever or within the last year. In addition, the large percentage of @entity1 recruited at work sites who had not been screened previously indicates an opportunity for collaboration with healthcare professionals in employee health programs. Efforts to increase participation in @entity263 screening will be enhanced significantly by eliciting the active involvement of community leaders.
