Table 3.
Participant Statements Regarding Strategies for Cancer Prevention Education
| Statements | Discussion Group |
|---|---|
| Theme 1: Schools as Forum for Educating and Disseminating Information About Cancer Prevention | |
| ”We have to go into public schools to do this effort” | Family/caregivers |
| “We have to give guidance, talks about cancer prevention in school, start early.” | Patients/survivors |
| “You know, maybe information can be offered in high school regarding the mammogram, the PCA test which is a blood test to detect changes in the prostate, and maybe those same adolescents can be the influence for their parents.” | Healthcare providers |
| Theme 2: Create Partnerships with Private and Government Agencies | |
| “To speak of cancer prevention, you have to do it through the Department of Family, Department of Health and the Department of Education.” | All |
| “I think of taking the resources, maybe to the Department of Education and in public and private schools of the country, where there is not only a direct communication with the students, but also with the parents, and focus all that information that is recollected about what is prevention and cancer education, more so, bring (health fair) clinic.” | Family/caregivers |
| “There are a lot of boats rowing at different places and we are going to get to the same place and we are going to get to the point, but I understand that the orientation about cancer prevention is very disseminated among the agencies and that they are not looking to reach a point in which they can all take part and can all benefit.” | Healthcare providers |
| Theme 3: Consider Specific Cultural Factors When Preparing and Sharing Cancer Education Information | |
| “Try to orientate and educate, eliminating the taboo there is about cancer, because a lot of times there is ignorance and that same taboo makes people not educate themselves (and), not visit the doctors.” | Patients/survivors |
| “The Puerto Rican idiosyncrasy has to be taken into consideration. A lot of times, if we are speaking of colorectal cancer, a man will not go get his digital rectal test because “that is not manly” nor screen the reproductive area because of machismo and I don’t know what other things, represent a limitation for the masculine sex. That is, that in that sense we would also have to explore how we can surpass that type of fear, shame, whatever it is.” | Healthcare providers |
| Theme 4: Outreach to Communities with Limited Resources | |
| “(Health fair) Clinics shall be taken to the communities, because there are a lot of people of limited economical resources and that live far, and the message has to be taken to them of what is cancer prevention and guide them.” | Family/caregivers |
| “It is important not to focus only in the Metro area, but also focus in the smaller cities. My city, how you would say, nobody sees it, take the information there to the people of those small cities, in the center of the island…” | Family/caregivers |
| “It is very important to know what are the necessities of the community that we are interested in studying, because no matter how many help clinics we try to create, of awareness, of prevention, if those patients and those people do not have a way to get there, if they don’t have transportation, they can’t go because they have their children in schools or they arrived and cannot go past the afternoon. Find out why they can’t get the help we are trying to provide and let that lead our efforts and decide how we can help them.” | Healthcare providers |
| Theme 5: Include Testimony of Cancer Survivors | |
| “The testimonies are very shocking. When another person has passed through a situation and shares it, you then understand that this is real, that it’s happening, because when you share things with another human being like you, that is going through the same thing, the message, the message is taken (understood) better.” | Family/caregivers |
| “The survivor is very important it is the key to any type of prevention event that we want to take to the community.” | Healthcare providers |
| Theme 6: Utilize Online Social Networks and Media to Disseminate Cancer Prevention Information | |
| “We have to utilize the media and the online social networks to share the subject of cancer prevention.” | Family/caregivers |
| “We also have to put advertisements on the television, for children, for doctors also, that the same doctor gives the information to the patient.” | Family/caregivers |