Melanoma Perception and Health Literacy in People of Color

Melanoma Perception and Health Literacy in People of Color: A Targeted Educational Intervention

This study will examine the effectiveness of a targeted, health literate educational intervention for people of color compared to a standard melanoma education pamphlet for increasing knowledge and promoting early melanoma detection. It is hypothesized that people of color are less aware of their risk for developing melanoma and that a targeted educational intervention will help increase knowledge and promote early melanoma detection especially in individuals with low health literacy.

This targeted educational intervention will compare a standard melanoma education pamphlet with one that has been modified to target people of color. Both pamphlets will include the ABCDEs of melanoma, risk factors, prevention and treatment. In addition, the targeted pamphlet will incorporate the recommendations made by people of color in previous studies. The pamphlets will be randomized to subjects at a study visit along with a health literacy test and a questionnaire aimed at determining subjects' baseline melanoma knowledge and current melanoma prevention practices. 2 months post-intervention, a follow-up phone call will be made to assess subject knowledge retention and behavior change.

Inclusion Criteria:

• English-speaking
• Self-identifies with one of the following races/ethnicities: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or Hispanic

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not proficient in English
• Unable to give informed consent
• Does not self-identify with the following races/ethnicities: African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaskan Native, or Hispanic