A randomized controlled trial to evaluate an adapted community health worker-delivered breast and cervical cancer screening education and navigation intervention for underserved Latina adults

Introduction We evaluated the effectiveness of an adapted community-based breast and cervical screening behavioral intervention. Community health workers (CHW) delivered group education and optional telephone-based health coaching and navigation on mammography and Papanicolaou (Pap) test screening among low-income Latinas in the Greater Houston area. Methods CHWs recruited women (40 years and older) who were non-adherent to mammography screening guidelines (n=797), as well as women 21 years and over who were non-adherent to cervical cancer screening guidelines (n=501). Data collectors completed baseline surveys, randomized women to the CHW-delivered intervention and comparison (delayed intervention) arms, and completed 6-month follow-up surveys. Results At follow-up, 39.9% in the mammography intervention arm and 20.3% of women in the comparison arm completed mammograms ( P < .001). For cervical cancer screening, 55.8% of women in the intervention arm and 27.4% of women in the comparison arm completed cervical screening ( P < .001). Adjusting for socio-economic, demographic, and cancer screening history factors significant in bivariate analysis ( P