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Table 1 Summary characteristics of included special events

From: A systematic review of special events to promote breast, cervical and colorectal cancer screening in the United States

Single component articles

 

Author (year)

Cancer focus

Data collection

Participants

Sample (N)

Special event description

Follow-up period

Results

Cost

Dolin & Butterfield [26]

Breast and cervical

Post-test only

White women from a mid-eastern U.S. city

67

Type: Health fair

At event

Screening:

Not reported

Event components:

 

Scheduled breast and cervical screening appointment:

• Group Education and one-on-one education (treatment and control)

 

Treatment: 41%

Control: 25%

• Small media (breast self-examination educational information) (treatment)

 

p-value <.015

Referral to screenings

Community Guide strategies:1 GE, 1on1, SM, RSB

Englisbe et al. [34]

Breast

Post-event only

Low income, minority women in targeted zip codes in Albany, NY, 63% no prior mammogram

50

Type: Special day

At event

Screening:

$2,500

Event components:

 

Mammography: 44 (88%)

• Transportation to mammography appointments on Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day

• Educational materials (e.g. totes and t-shirts with health messages)

Provide reduced cost mammograms

Community Guide strategies: RSB, ROPC, SM

Fournier et al. [27]

Breast & cervical

Post-event only

Residents of Big Pine Key and Key West, Florida

1279 over 2 yrs

Type: Health fair (offered twice)

At event

Screening:

$7,000

Event Components:

 

Mammography (1997):

• Free clinical exams: breast and cervical (1996 & 1997)

 

Total: 34 (4.8%)

• Free cancer screening: mammograms (1997)

 

Clinical Exams (1996–1997):

Clinical Breast Exams:

133 (10.4%)

Patient education

Clinical Female Pelvic Exam (1996–1997): 151 (8.5%)

Community Guide strategies: 1 on 1, ROPC RSB

Resnick [28]

Breast, cervical & colorectal

Post-event only

Residents over 90 years of age (mostly female) living in a continuing-care retirement community (location not specified)

51

Type: Health fair

At event

Screening:

Not reported

Event components:

 

Pap Tests: 2 (3.9%)

• Clinical exams

 

Returned FOBT cards: 15 (29.4%)

• Cancer screening; breast exams, pap tests, and stools for occult blood test

Clinical Exams:

One-on-one education sessions to discuss screening options and chose the relevant screenings

 

Clinical Breast Exams: 8 (15.7%)

Community Guide strategies: ROPC, 1 on 1, RSB

Gellert et al. [33]

Breast & colorectal

Pre-event and post-event

Native Hawaiians in Molokai, Hawaii

73

Type: Cultural festival

Weekly up to 6 mo

Screening :

Not reported

Event Components:

Colorectal Cancer (FOBT) (28 men ≥ 50 years old):

• Cancer 101 group session

 

Pre-event: 11 (39%)

• One-on-one education

 

Follow-up: 21 (75%)

• Screening: breast exams and colorectal cancers kits

 

p-value= .002

• Follow-up letter at 1 month and up to 6 months phone call to assist with obtaining insurance, scheduling appts., and transportation

 

Colorectal Cancer (FOBT) (25 women ≥ 50 years old):

Pre-event: 9 (36%)

Community Guide strategies: ROPC, 1 on1, GE, RSB

Follow-up: 19 (76%)

p-value=.002

Mammography (38 women ≥ 40 years old):

Pre-event: 25 (66%)

Follow-up: 32 (84%)

p-value=.02

Clinical Exams:

Clinical Breast Exam:

Pre-test: 25 (66%)

Post-test: 38 (100%)

p-value<.001

Byrne and Robles-Rodriguez [31]

Breast

Post-event only

Underserved, minority women aged 18–70 in Camden County, New Jersey

568

Type: Party (offered 25 times)

2 days

Screening and Clinical Exams:

Not reported

Event Components:

After the event

Mammograms and clinical breast exams:2 301

• Group education

Referrals for screening

Community Guide strategies: GE, RSB

Cueva et al. [35]

Colorectal

Post-event only

Alaska Natives and American Indians in Alaska

172

Type: Play

At event

Other Outcomes:

Not reported

Event Components:

 

Increased intention to get screened: 37/124 (30% )

• Group education

• Theatre script for all participants (readers and listeners)

Community Guide strategies: GE,SM

Elmunzer et al. [29]

Colorectal

Post-event only

Uninsured, mostly minority patients older than 50 years who had not undergone CRC screening in the past 10 years in Miami, FL

52

Type: Health fair

At event

Screening:

$6,531

Event Components:

 

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: 52 (100% of attendees; 61.8% of scheduled)

Sigmoidoscopy Screening

Community Guide strategies: RSB, ROPC

Multi-component articles

Goldsmith and Sisneros [32]

Breast and cervical

Pre-event and post-event

Migrant and seasonal low income, mostly Hispanic female farmworkers, aged 18+, in California’s Central Valley

1732

Type: Party

45 Days

Screening:

Not reported

Event Components:

 

Pap Tests: 183 (10.6%)

Mammograms: 29 (1.7%)

Clinical Breast Exams: 105 (6.1%)

• Group education

• Outreach activities (transportation, criteria for free screening and

• Scheduling screening appointments)

• Screening referrals (vouchers provided)

Community Guide strategies: GE, 1 on1,

RSB

Wu et al. [30]

Colorectal

Pre-event and post-event

Mostly uninsured Asian Americans, 50-years or older, at high-risk of colorectal cancer in Michigan

400

Type: Health fair

6-12 mo

Screening:

Not reported

Event Components:

 

FOBT: 70 (45%)

• Group seminars were on early detection of colorectal cancer

 

Colonoscopy: 45 (29%)

Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: 2 (1%)

• Provision of low cost FOBT kits

 

FOBT and Flexible Sigmoidoscopy: 4 (2%)

Other outcomes:

• Educational brochures were distributed in all relevant Asian languages

Intention to get screened: 175 (57.6%)

Community Guide strategies: GE, RSB

  1. Note. 1Community Guide recommended strategies abbreviations: BC = Breast Cancer Screening, CC = Cervical Cancer Screening, CRC = Colorectal Cancer Screening, ROPC = Reducing Out-of-Pocket Costs, GE = Group Education, 1 on 1 = One-on-One Education, MM = Mass Media, SM = Small Media, RSB = Reducing Structural Barriers. 2 Screening numbers for mammograms and CBE were given in aggregate so no percentages could be calculated.