Cancer, Patient Empowerment
Conditions
Keywords
cancer, African American, church, clergy, leadership
Brief summary
Multiple cancer health disparities exist for underrepresented minority groups, such as higher late stage diagnoses and greater cancer-related deaths. Among African Americans, there is an increased cancer survivorship and caregiving burden, which necessitates more support and resources during these phases. The African American church has been evidenced to be a trusted source of resource and provide culturally competent care and contribute to decreasing these disparities. Importantly, the leadership of the African American churches are pivotal to the health and wellness of this population. One important leader is the clergy wife or widow, who is understudied but vital to the function of the church function and activities. The long-term goal of this proposed study is to develop a leadership training program for clergy wives and widows with emphasis on cancer survivorship and caregiving. The objective of this pilot project is to develop and test the Cancer Survivorship and Caregiver Leadership Education for Clergy Wives and Widows, with specific emphasis of cultural and spiritual considerations of African American cancer survivors and caregivers. The rationale for this project, is that African American clergy wives and widows can receive the necessary training to assist cancer survivors and caregivers in the management of physical, emotional, psychosocial, spiritual, and financial challenges. This study will be accomplished in four aims, which are 1) Develop skills and knowledge to perform an in-depth culturally sensitive need assessment and intervention map tailored for aging African American cancer survivors and caregivers, 2) To increase cancer survivorship and caregiving leadership education and activities for African American Clergy Wives and Widows, and 3) Enhance awareness of cancer-related health issues and its relationship to key determinants among aging cancer survivors and caregivers. This project is innovative in establishing a culturally and spiritually tailored intervention to develop the training of Clergy Wives and Widows to provide appropriate education for community dwelling African American survivors and caregivers. This research is significant because of its potential to inform cancer and caregiving related research and evidence-based practice for both health care professionals and community organizations and institutions to improve long term-health outcomes.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALCancer Survivorship Leadership Training for Clergy Wives and Widows
We will meet with Clergy Wives and Widows monthly for 2-3 hours over 10 months. These sessions will be delivered using innovative online format through Zoom over the ten months. During each meeting session, experienced community and academic leaders will present their expertise with relationship to cancer survivorship and caregiving. These individuals will have extensive experience in the particular area they are presenting in. In addition, allotted time will be given for discussion and group activities that can be performed virtually. To receive credit for completion of the training program, each participant must complete the training and deliver a group workshop. All clergy wives and widows will complete a demographic questionnaire, in addition to pre- and post- intervention questionnaires
Sponsors
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Identify as either a clergy wife or widow * Identify as African American and/or Black * Live within the boundaries of Los Angeles County * Be at least 18 years of age * Speak and/or read English
Exclusion criteria
* Does not identify as a clergy wife or widow * Does not self-identify as African American and/or Black * Lives outside the boundaries of Los Angeles County * Under the age of 18 * Unable to speak and/or read English
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of Participants Achieving Target Levels in Cancer Knowledge Using the Cancer Awareness Measurement Survey | 10 months | By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% increase in the cancer awareness, risk factors, and screening among study participants. |
| Percentage of Participants Achieving Improvement in Mental Status and Wellness Using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Survey | 10 months | By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% increase in the awareness of depression, anxiety and stress among study participants. |
| Percentage of Participants Achieving Decreased Perceived Stigma Levels Using Cancer Stigma Scale | 10 months | By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% decrease in cancer stigma among study participants. |
| Percentage of Participants Achieving Decreased Perceived Stress Using Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire | 10 months | By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% decrease in perceived stress regarding cancer caregiving among study participants. |
Countries
United States
Participant flow
Participants by arm
| Arm | Count |
|---|---|
| Clergy Wives and Widows We will provide cancer survivorship and caregiving leadership education and activities for African American Clergy Wives and Widows by creating an educational partnership program aimed towards church-based health education on cancer survivorship and caregiving
Cancer Survivorship Leadership Training for Clergy Wives and Widows: We will meet with Clergy Wives and Widows monthly for 2-3 hours over 10 months. These sessions will be delivered using innovative online format through Zoom over the ten months. During each meeting session, experienced community and academic leaders will present their expertise with relationship to cancer survivorship and caregiving. These individuals will have extensive experience in the particular area they are presenting in. In addition, allotted time will be given for discussion and group activities that can be performed virtually. To receive credit for completion of the training program, each participant must complete the training and deliver a group workshop. All clergy wives and widows will complete a demographic questionnaire, in addition to pre- and post- intervention questionnaires | 37 |
| Total | 37 |
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | Clergy Wives and Widows |
|---|---|
| Age, Categorical <=18 years | 0 Participants |
| Age, Categorical >=65 years | 22 Participants |
| Age, Categorical Between 18 and 65 years | 15 Participants |
| Age, Continuous | 59 Years |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino | 0 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino | 37 Participants |
| Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Asian | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American | 37 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported | 0 Participants |
| Race (NIH/OMB) White | 0 Participants |
| Region of Enrollment United States | 37 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Female | 37 Participants |
| Sex: Female, Male Male | 0 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk |
|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 37 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 37 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 37 |
Outcome results
Primary
Percentage of Participants Achieving Decreased Perceived Stigma Levels Using Cancer Stigma Scale
By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% decrease in cancer stigma among study participants.
Time frame: 10 months
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Clergy Wives and Widows | Percentage of Participants Achieving Decreased Perceived Stigma Levels Using Cancer Stigma Scale | 30 Participants |
Primary
Percentage of Participants Achieving Decreased Perceived Stress Using Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire
By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% decrease in perceived stress regarding cancer caregiving among study participants.
Time frame: 10 months
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Clergy Wives and Widows | Percentage of Participants Achieving Decreased Perceived Stress Using Caregiver Self-Assessment Questionnaire | 20 Participants |
Primary
Percentage of Participants Achieving Improvement in Mental Status and Wellness Using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Survey
By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% increase in the awareness of depression, anxiety and stress among study participants.
Time frame: 10 months
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Clergy Wives and Widows | Percentage of Participants Achieving Improvement in Mental Status and Wellness Using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Survey | 25 Participants |
Primary
Percentage of Participants Achieving Target Levels in Cancer Knowledge Using the Cancer Awareness Measurement Survey
By comparison from baseline to post-intervention, there will be a 30% increase in the cancer awareness, risk factors, and screening among study participants.
Time frame: 10 months
| Arm | Measure | Value (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS) |
|---|---|---|
| Clergy Wives and Widows | Percentage of Participants Achieving Target Levels in Cancer Knowledge Using the Cancer Awareness Measurement Survey | 20 Participants |