HRA’s research team has been working to increase awareness of and screening rates for colorectal cancer among older adults of South Asian descent. As part of this project, led by Dr. Susan L. Ivey, the team developed two educational brochures about colorectal cancer and the benefits of getting screened.

The two brochures have the same text but different designs. Both take advantage of insights gained during focus groups with South Asian men and women.

To assess the acceptance and usability of the brochures, the research team conducted usability tests at the India Community Center in the Bay Area and at the Bangladeshi Women’s Empowerment Network conference on mental health. During these tests, participants are asked questions such as:

• What is the overall content of each brochure?
• Which brochure is more attractive?

The India Community Center (ICC) in Milpitas is a central gathering place for South Asians in the San Francisco Bay Area. The center hosts events and activities for community members of all ages. The team visited the ICC during an event for seniors. This allowed the team to meet with people in the target age group of 50 and older.

The team tested the brochures by surveying male and female seniors at the event. The people surveyed provided feedback on the overall appeal and effectiveness of the brochures. They said the brochures would help to educate other seniors in South Asian communities on the importance of colorectal cancer screenings.

The team also tested the two brochures at the Bangladeshi Women’s Empowerment Network conference on mental health. This event was aimed at facilitating dialogue on mental health among South Asian communities. 

All of the feedback gathered will be taken into account in further revisions of the brochures.

Brochures will be produced in English, Hindi, and Bangla/Bengali. The team is grateful for funding from the Asian Research Center on Health (ARCH) and the Chinatown Community Health Center for their generous sponsorship and contribution toward the project. The brochures will be distributed at community events in 2017.

Researchers on the team are pictured below, from left to right: Top row: Dr. Susan L. Ivey, Dr. Winston Tseng, Dilpreet Sahota, Nilesh Kapoor. Second row: Sameeha Rau, Eiman Kazi, Aashna Patel, and Zahra Ansari.