Project Description : This is a 4-year project to evaluate   existing educational    materials for liver cancer prevention and   develop non-traditional and culturally integrated educational      materials to be used in Chinese, Korean, and   Vietnamese   populations in Maryland. We will then implement a community-   based cancer intervention program using the newly developed educational materials to increase hepatitis B virus screening, and evaluate effectiveness of the new materials. This project is funded by the National Cancer Institute, and we will work closely with Dr. Hee-Soon Juon at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (ALso see MAACP website for more information).This 4-year project is divided into Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III with specific aim for each period.

 

Phase I: Develop educational strategies tailored to the needs of target communities to increase public awareness of liver cancer prevention. This aim will be achieved by conducting the following research activities:  (Completed!)

1.	Content analysis of existing educational materials;
2.	Eight focus groups in Maryland Korean, Chinese, and Vietnamese communities to explore their knowledge, belief, attitude and behaviors regarding HBV screening and liver cancer prevention. (Click here for more information on focus groups and participants.)
3.	Developing culturally integrated educational materials for the three Asian American communities respectively, such as photonovels. Download Photonovels in your language: (Upcoming soon!) Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese
4.	Developing questionnaire and intervention protocol for Phase II.

Phase II: Implement theory-driven and culturally integrated community-based cancer intervention programs to increase hepatitis B virus screening through increased cancer awareness, outreach, and accessibility to screening for Asian Americans. (Upcoming soon!)

      A randomized control study will be conducted with a total of 900 Asian American participants recruited from 12 community/faith based organizations (CBOs/FBOs) in Maryland, with 3 CBOs/FBOs from each ethnicity group. Interested in participating? Click here!

 

Phase III: Evaluate the effectiveness of educational intervention on hepatitis B and liver cancer awareness. (Upcoming soon!)

       We will examine impact of the interventions on the study population’s cancer related knowledge, attitudes, efficacy, behavior intent, and screening behaviors.