Abstract B087: Bridging knowledge gaps in breast and colorectal cancer: Impact of a community-based education program

Abstract Background: Underserved communities experience significantly higher breast and colorectal cancer mortality rates compared to the general populations. Contributing factors include barriers to healthcare access, limited health knowledge, and mistrust. Despite evidence that early detection through screening reduces mortality, many individuals in these communities lack knowledge about screening guidelines, available services, and access points. This study evaluates a community-based educational program aimed at cancer screening knowledge and conducting a needs assessment among these populations. Method: Participants were recruited through community partner organizations. The educational program facilitated open dialogue about breast and colorectal cancer prevention strategies. All participants completed pre- and post- surveys to assess cancer-related knowledge and prior screening behaviors. Cancer screening needs assessments were administered in the post-survey. One-sample t-tests were conducted to evaluate changes in knowledge score between pre- and post-workshop." Results: Among 203 participants, 82 (40.4%) were African American, 40 (19.7%) Asian American, and 70 (34.5%) multi-racial or other. Colorectal cancer knowledge scores increased significantly from 3.71 (SD = 2.26) to 5.44 (SD = 1.95), p < 0.0001. Breast cancer knowledge scores similarly improved from 3.52 (SD = 2.78) to 5.81 (SD = 2.46), p < 0.0001. Regarding cancer screening needs assessment, participants identified three primary areas: access to health information (69.0%), access to healthcare (80.0%), and access to cancer screening services (70.9%). Conclusion: This community-based educational intervention effectively improved cancer screening knowledge among underserved populations and identified critical gaps in healthcare access, health information, and screening services that must be addressed to reduce disparities in cancer mortality. Citation Format: Elaine Liu, Gabriel Jean-Charles, Jade Truehart, Safa Ibrahim, Sara Kim, Marilyn Fraser, Ming-Chin Yeh, Grace X. Ma. Bridging knowledge gaps in breast and colorectal cancer: Impact of a community-based education program [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr B087.