Table 2.
MAJOR THEMES RELATED TO OPC CONTROL BY KEY STAKEHOLDER GROUPS
| Focus groups | Health care providers | Community leaders | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoking as a social/cultural issue | |||
| 1. Early initiation to smoking, often influenced by family member. | X | ||
| 2. Tobacco use associated with high rates of substance abuse, alcohol abuse and social distress. | X | ||
| 3. Acculturation plays a role among females. | X | ||
| 4. Lack of familiarity with tobacco and alcohol. | X | ||
| 5. High prevalence of smoking and alcohol use in the community. | X | X | X |
| Oral and pharyngeal cancer awareness | |||
| 1. Lack of knowledge about early signs, symptoms, risk factors, or the availability of an exam. | X | X | X |
| 2. Most perceived no association between smoking, alcohol, and OPC. | X | X | |
| 3. Need for high profile community-based interventions. | X | X | X |
| 4. Need more availability of culturally appropriate educational materials. | X | X | |
| 5. Low yield and reimbursement issues. | X | ||
| Access to health care issues | |||
| 1. Few had history of regular medical or dental visits. | X | X | X |
| 2. Lack of follow-up. | X | ||
| 3. Fatalistic view of cancer “Cancer = Death”. | X | X | |
| 4. Social issues (e.g. poverty) as barriers for seeking care. | X | X | |
| 5. Poor access to oral health care. | X | X | |
| 6. Cultural and language differences as barriers. | X | X | X |
OPC = oral and pharyngeal cancer