Abstract
Problem Identification Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women in the United States (U.S.). Breast cancer disproportionately affects Black women. Mortality rates among Black women with breast cancer in the U.S. and Sacramento County are much higher than their White counterparts. One factor contributing to this disparity is the lack of clinical trial enrollment among Black women in breast cancer clinical trials.
Analysis Using the social ecological model (SEM) to analyze the determinants contributing to increased breast cancer mortality rates among Black women, the SEM analysis demonstrated that knowledge/awareness, systemic and interpersonal racism from providers, access to care, insurance and transportation, socioeconomic status, mistrust in providers, and limiting clinical trial eligibility criteria are the main contributors. These factors contribute to decreased participation and enrollment of Black women in breast cancer clinical trials.
Intervention (Solution) Proposal Cancer clinical trials allow participants to receive high-quality treatment from novel drugs and help understand the biological differences among different races and ethnicities. The Inspire Her Project aims to increase clinical trial participation and enrollment and breast cancer survival rates among Black women in Sacramento County through theory-informed online health education and the implementation of a policy for adopting more inclusive eligibility criteria in the UC Davis Health System.
Implementation and Evaluation Through coalition building and training informed by the transformational leadership theory, the Inspire Her staff will be equipped to implement this intervention in collaboration with several local agencies and non-profit organizations. The implementation and impact of this intervention will be evaluated through fidelity testing and a series of pre-tests/post-tests to measure the change in the proposed objectives.