Culturally competent training program: A key to training lay health advisors for promoting breast cancer screening

Mei Yu Yu, Lixin Song, Amy Seetoo, Cuijuan Cai, Gary Smith, Deborah Oakley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

The lay health advisor (LHA) training program for breast cancer screening was conducted among Chinese- English bilingual trainees residing in Southeast Michigan. Guided by Bandura's Social Learning Theory, the development of the training curriculum followed the health communication process recommended by the National Cancer Institute. Data analysis based on questionnaires completed by 79 LHAs indicated that the breast cancer screening training program significantly increased LHAs' knowledge and self-efficacy (p <.01, t test, two-tailed) and LHAs had a positive perception with regard to the training manual. Regression analysis found that LHAs who were younger, employed, and demonstrated a positive perception of the training manual tended to have higher self-efficacy in promoting breast cancer screening (R 2 =.30). This study suggests that a culturally competent training program effectively increases LHAs' self-efficacy. The findings have implications for developing effective LHA training programs in Asian American communities where LHA interventions are rarely implemented.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)928-941
Number of pages14
JournalHealth Education and Behavior
Volume34
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Breast cancer screening
  • Chinese American
  • Lay health advisor
  • Self-efficacy
  • Training program

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health

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