¡Salud! Por la Vida (SPLV) A Colorectal Screening Promotion Program

¡Salud! Por la Vida: A Colorectal Screening Promotion Program for Patients Attending Federally Qualified Health Centers in Puerto Rico.

The overall goal of this educational program was to increase colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) in men and women who attend Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in Puerto Rico. FQHCs, referred to in Puerto Rico as "Clínicas 330", are ideal settings to implement innovative approaches to increase CRCS because they serve primarily low-income patients who typically have lower rates of screening. The goal of this study, is to develop and evaluate the impact of a clinic level intervention on increasing CRCS among low-income Puerto Rican men and women aged 50-75, who have either never been screened for colorectal cancer, or are under-screened according recommended guidelines. To evaluate the delivery of the CRCS education program we used a group randomized controlled trial that provided data to determine the effectiveness of the CRC intervention program compared with usual practice (no intervention).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female aged 50-75, patient at a participating FQHC.
• Male aged 50-75, patient at a participating FQHC.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having completed a fecal occult blood test (FOBT) or a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in the past year.
• Having completed a sigmoidoscopy in the last 5 years.
• Having completed a colonoscopy in the last 10 years.
• Prior history of colorectal cancer.