A Culturally Appropriate Cancer Education Program for African‐American Adolescents in an Urban Middle School

Abstract

This article describes an innovative transfer of cancer prevention information from a Comprehensive Cancer Center to the community and school setting. A cancer control curriculum, developmentally and culturally appropriate for middle school, African-American children, was taught to seventh grade students in a public middle school in a large, northeastern city. By building partnerships among a university, an academic medical center, a public school district, and a non-profit arts organization, students learned cancer control concepts in the context of their daily lives. Students increased their knowledge of cancer risk and demonstrated a positive attitude about their ability to affect their own health. Experience with this project enabled staff to identify additional education and support needs that exist among students who have family members with cancer.