A KNOWLEDGE TRANSLATION EVENT ON COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING IN A FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITY

INTRODUCTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces incidence of and mortality from CRC. First Nations have higher rates of CRC incidence and mortality and lower rates of screening compared to non-First Nations. We aimed to increase awareness of the importance of CRC screening in the First Nations community of Kahnawake, Quebec, Canada.

METHODS:  We held a knowledge translation (KT) event in Kahnawake, a Mohawk community located 12 miles from Montréal, Québec. The event was advertised in the local community through posters, newspaper advertisements and radio announcements and on websites of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canadian Cancer Society and Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. Three presenters with expertise in research, public health nursing and gastroenterology spoke about various aspects of CRC screening. General topics included the biology of CRC, the benefits of CRC screening and different CRC screening tests, and research findings on ways to improve people’s CRC screening experience. Topics of special interest included the increasing rates of CRC in Canadian Aboriginal people, the modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors for developing CRC, how to access CRC screening in the community, and how to use the new fecal immunochemical test.

RESULTS:   In total, 28 people attended of whom 22 (78.6%) completed the post-event surveys. Most survey respondents were women (72.7%) and aged 50-74 (50%); 59.1% considered themselves interested citizens, 27.3% health care professionals, and 9.1% patients or researchers. The discussion part of the KT event focused on audience members’ concerns that addressed the biology of CRC, the availability of colonoscopy in Québec, the Québec colorectal cancer screening program, and the relationship between CRC and other cancers. Survey respondents were pleased with the content of the KT-event, reporting that they ‘enjoyed the excellent presentation and learned a lot’ and that ‘just enough information and interesting statistics were provided’. In total, 95.5% of survey respondents said that the content of the Café presentations met their expectations and improved their understanding of CRC and screening.

CONCLUSIONS:  This KT event seemed to have increased awareness of the importance of CRC screening among survey respondents. Planning is underway to continue to disseminate knowledge on topics of interest and importance to the Kahnawake community.