Translating evidence-based interventions for implementation: Experiences from Project HEAL in African American churches

• Published in: Implementation science : IS 2014-05, Vol.9 (1), p.66-66, Article 66
• Main Authors: Holt, Cheryl L, Tagai, Erin K, Scheirer, Mary Ann, Santos, Sherie Lou Z, Bowie, Janice, Haider, Muhiuddin, Slade, Jimmie L, Wang, Min Qi, Whitehead, Tony
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advisors; African Americans; Black churches; Black or African American; Breast cancer; Cancer; Cervical cancer; Chronic diseases; Colorectal cancer; Community; Community Health Services - organization & administration; Community Health Workers - education; Decision making; Diagnosis; Early Detection of Cancer; Evidence-Based Medicine; Health aspects; Health Behavior; Health Education - organization & administration; Health Promotion - organization & administration; Humans; Information Dissemination; Intervention; Mammography; Medical screening; Neoplasms - diagnosis; Neoplasms - ethnology; Neoplasms - prevention & control; Planning; Prevention; Prostate cancer; Public health; Religion; Translational Research, Biomedical
• ISSN: 1748-5908; 1748-5908
• DOI: 10.1186/1748-5908-9-66

Community-based approaches have been increasing in the effort to raise awareness and early detection for cancer and other chronic disease. However, many times, such interventions are tested in randomized trials, become evidence-based, and then fail to reach further use in the community. Project HEAL (Health through Early Awareness and Learning) is an implementation trial that aims to compare two strategies of implementing evidence-based cancer communication interventions in African American faith-based organizations. This article describes the community-engaged process of transforming three evidence-based cancer communication interventions into a coherent, branded strategy for training community health advisors with two delivery mechanisms. Peer community health advisors receive training through either a traditional classroom approach (with high technical assistance/support) or a web-based training portal (with low technical assistance/support). We describe the process, outline the intervention components, report on the pilot test, and conclude with lessons learned from each of these phases. Though the pilot phase showed feasibility, it resulted in modifications to data collection protocols and team and community member roles and expectations. Project HEAL offers a promising strategy to implement evidence-based interventions in community settings through the use of technology. There could be wider implications for chronic disease prevention and control.