“Health is strength”: A community health education program to improve breast and cervical cancer screening among Korean American Women in Alameda County, California

Background: A 48-month community intervention was conducted to improve breast and cervical cancer (BCC) screening among Korean American (KA) women in Alameda County (AL), California. KA women in Santa Clara (SC) County, California served as a comparison group. Methods: Random samples of KA women from each county were surveyed by telephone in 1994 (n = 818) and 2002 (n = 1084). Propensity score analyses were used to estimate the difference between counties in changes over time in screening (Pap tests, breast self-examinations, clinical breast examinations, and mammography), and to estimate differences in screening between participants and non-participants in an educational workshop among women in AL in 2002. Results: Mammography screening and clinical breast examinations increased over time in both counties. Pap tests increased in AL but not SC, and breast self-examinations did not change significantly in either county. None of the intervention-comparison group differences over time were significant. In 2002, compared to non-participants, women who attended a workshop were more likely to report a recent Pap test (P < .08). Conclusions: Although our overall intervention did not appear to enhance screening practices at the community-level, attendance at a women's health workshop appears to have increased cervical cancer screening.