Browsing by Author "Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie"
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Item Collaborative Research as an Essential Component for Addressing Cancer Disparities Among Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander Women(2002) Tanjasiri, Sora Park; Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie; Nguyen, Tu-Uyen; Foo, Mary AnneA fundamental component of community-based health promotion efforts to eliminate disparities is the mobilization of community involvement to address not only individual but also systemic and political causes of inequalities in health. The participatory action research (PAR) paradigm is well suited to address these multilevel inequalities in research and evaluation experienced by many ethnic and racial communities. In this article, a case study of a project to reduce health disparities in breast and cervical cancer among seven Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander communities in Southern California is presented. The authors applied a PAR framework to the process of needs assessment and program planning to understand and address the complex and multilevel factors that contribute to the problem of disparate breast and cervical cancer screening rates in these communities. Finally, the authors describe the lessons that were learned about how to promote collaborative research as an essential element in the design of projects and studies to address ethnic disparities in health outcomes for breast and cervical cancer.Item Disaggregating Data on Asian and Pacific Islander Women to Assess Cancer Screening(2004) Chen, Judy Y; Diamant, Allison L; Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie; Pourat, Nadereh; Wold, CherylBackground: Although incidence of cancer is increasing among Asian-American and Pacific-Islander (AAPI) women, their low cancer screening rates are inadequately addressed. Furthermore, the traditional approach of studying the diverse AAPI nationalities as one group hides important intra- and inter-group ethnic differences in cancer screening, as well as lack of representativeness because the surveys are not administered in any AAPI language. To address these problems, this study compared cancer screening rates among particular AAPI groups and non-AAPIs living in an ethnically diverse region. Methods: This study was conducted in 2001–2002 using data from the 1999–2000 Los Angeles County Health Survey, a population-based telephone survey that relied on random-digitdialing techniques. Cervical and breast cancer–screening rates were measured, and key determinants of screening using bivariate analyses and multivariate logistic regression were assessed. Results: AAPIs had lower screening rates than whites, with significant variation among AAPI subgroups. Moreover, AAPI women were less likely to have undergone cervical cancer screening compared to white women, independent of major demographic, socioeconomic, and health status factors. Determinants for receipt of cancer screening differed for AAPIs and whites. Immigration factors were significant barriers to cancer screening for AAPIs. Conclusions: These findings support the evidence of disparities in receipt of cancer screening services among subgroups of AAPI women. Additionally, these findings highlight the importance of disaggregating the heterogeneous AAPI population to identify higher-risk subgroups and facilitate development of effective targeted interventions.Item From Genes to Social Science: Impact of the Simplistic Interpretation of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Cancer Outcome(2001) Kagawa-Singer, MarjorieOver the last 30 years, dramatic advances have been made in understanding the cell biology of cancer and the genetic changes involved in oncogenesis. Many tumors now are curable and overall, cancer mortality has decreased significantly. Cancer has been transformed from a primarily fatal disease into a chronic condition. To accelerate these trends, the American Cancer Society has set its goals for the year 2015 to reduce the burden of cancer in this country. The goals are to decrease mortality by 50% and decrease the rate of incidence by 25%, as well as increase the quality of life for all individuals with cancer. However, to achieve these goals, changes must occur on two levels, in cancer control research and programming. Greater resources must be directed toward social and behavioral research, and conceptual clarity must be developed so that refinements can be made in the methodologies used to study the effects of cultural differences on health behavior. This paper provides a broad overview of the complex, intricate, and interrelated interaction that is emerging as a salient area of study. To our knowledge, the information to date is in disparate disciplines and needs to be integrated within an overarching framework for cancer control in diverse populations.Item Involving Minority and Underrepresented Women in Clinical Trials: The National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health(2000) Killien, Marcia; Bigby, Judy Ann; Champion, Victoria; Fernandez-Repollet, Emma; Jackson, Rebecca D.; Kagawa-Singer, Marjorie; Kidd, Kristin; Naughton, Michele J.; Prout, MarianneAbstract available at publisher's web site.