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Assessing Community Outreach Strategies to Promote Cancer Prevention Among Young Adults
Watts, Cheyenne Watson, Audrey Osmani, Hiba Koulong, Osee Young, Joe Andronaco, Anthony Bears, Jake Mesquita, Adam
Watts, Cheyenne
Watson, Audrey
Osmani, Hiba
Koulong, Osee
Young, Joe
Andronaco, Anthony
Bears, Jake
Mesquita, Adam
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Abstract
Background: Everyday behaviors including sleep and diet quality, physical activity, vaccination, sun exposure, alcohol and nicotine use, and chronic stress significantly influence cancer risk. Young adults are particularly vulnerable to these risk-associated behaviors, making them a critical population for preventive education. This project compares the effectiveness of active in-person engagement with passive modalities in communicating cancer-related risk factors.
Methods: Infographics addressing carcinogenic behaviors were distributed using three modalities: printed infographics in public spaces (poster), in-person conversations, and social media (online). All formats linked to a survey using a 5-point Likert scale to assess improvements in understanding, likelihood of behavior change, and perceived effectiveness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA with statistical significance set at p<0.05.
Results: Active in-person conversations produced the highest mean scores for understanding (4.85), behavior change (4.59), and effectiveness (4.88), significantly outperforming passive modalities (online and poster; p<0.001), while online delivery yielded the lowest scores. Although improvements were observed across all outcomes in the in-person cohort, the greatest relative effect occurred in the likelihood of behavior change compared to passive modalities.
Conclusion: Active in-person engagement is the most effective strategy for communicating cancer prevention information to young adults, particularly in its ability to influence future behavior. These findings underscore the importance of interactive communication in translating awareness into actionable prevention. While passive modalities may increase exposure, they likely require interactive supplementation to achieve meaningful behavioral change. Prioritizing in-person interventions may be critical for early cancer prevention and long-term risk reduction.
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2026-01-28
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LessCancer.org