UC Berkeley

Introduction: Although colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) rates have improved for all racial and ethnic groups due to wider availability of screening, Latinos continue to have lower screening rates compared to non-Latino whites. Additionally, Latinos are more likely to be diagnosed with later stages of colorectal cancer (CRC), which can lead to higher rates of morbidity and mortality. More culturally-sensitive interventions are needed to reach this population. The majority of existing CRCS interventions are based in primary health care settings, only targeting a fraction of the Latino population. This pilot study explores the feasibility of developing and introducing a digital storytelling (DST) intervention in a community church setting and its potential to influence CRCS intention among Latinos.

Methods: For the first part of the study, the research team collaborated with ten influential church members to create digital stories about their previous CRC and CRCS experience. They were then interviewed to understand how developing a digital story influences their future screening practices and the promotion of CRCS to others. For the second part of the study, 20 participants were recruited between the ages of 50 to 75 who were not up-to-date with CRCS per United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations. They completed surveys assessing their intention to complete CRCS before and after viewing digital stories developed by fellow church members. Participants were then asked to participate in focus groups to understand, qualitatively, how the digital stories influenced their intention to complete CRCS.

Results: The digital story developers were inspired by the digital storytelling process and interested in sharing their digital stories with others in an effort to improve screening beyond the church setting. For those who viewed the digital stories, men and women with previous screening experience were motivated to consider different screening methods for future screening. Furthermore, those who had never completed CRCS reported increased willingness to complete CRCS after viewing the intervention. The DST intervention has potential to influence participants’ intention to complete first-time screening as well as the type of screening for those with previous screening experience due to the personal nature of the stories and humanizing of the CRCS process.

Discussion: The introduction of a community-based DST intervention within a church setting is a feasible and novel strategy with the potential to influence more Latinos to complete CRCS and save lives. Future studies should consider this approach to test a DST intervention in multiple settings, topics and diverse populations.