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Background: The existing body of literature suggests that modifiable lifestyle behaviors such as alcohol consumption and dietary behaviors were linked to viral hepatitis B/C and liver cancer. So far, most of the liver cancer awareness campaigns and behavioral interventions have focused on preventive behaviors such as screening, vaccination, and early diagnosis. Not enough efforts have been made to raise awareness of behavioral mechanism of liver cancer prevention, especially in the medically underserved populations. Methods: We used the community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to implement an education initiative regarding the promotion of liver cancer among the African, Asian, and Hispanic populations within the Philadelphia metropolitan area and New York City. In this study, we used data from the pre-education surveys and follow-up assessments at 6 months post-education to assess the changes in dietary behaviors and alcohol consumption among participants. Results: The study sample includes 344 participants recruited through community-based organizations. The sample consists of 31 African Americans, 174 Asian Americans, and 139 Hispanic Americans. Among the African Americans participants, the consumption of scores such as fruits (2.710 to 3.581) and poultry (2.613 to 3.677) increased significantly, while vegetables and red meats decreased. In Asian Americans, the consumption of non-refined cereals (3.362 to 4.282), red meats (2.655 to 3.195), and dairy (2.851 to 3.701) products decreased. Lastly, among the Hispanic American participants poultry (2.173 to 3.554), dairy products (2.101 to 3.863), and olive oil (3.022 to 3.849) increased, as well as the consumption of alcohol. Conclusion: This community-based educational imitative generated different impacts in the three populations, further highlighting the needs for more targeted, culturally tailored efforts in health promotion among these underprivileged communities. Citation Format: Tamar Tertulien, Ellen J. Kim, Wenyue Lu, Steven Zhu, Nathaly Rubio-Torio, Evelyn González, Marilyn A. Fraser, Ming-Chin Yeh, Lin Zhu, Grace X. Ma, Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi, Yin Tan. Reducing liver cancer risk through dietary change: Positive results from a community-based educational initiative in three racial/ethnic groups [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr C069.

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening such as colonoscopy and stool test has been shown to be effective in reducing CRC burden, especially in the underprivileged communities. However, CRC awareness and screening uptake remained suboptimal, especially in racial/ethnic minority populations and non-Hispanic whites. Both CRC incidence and mortality rates are highest in non-Hispanic blacks (approximately 20% and 40%, respectively), and CRC screening uptake rates are lower in racial/ethnic minorities relative to non-Hispanic whites (NHWs). The cause for the disparities in incidence and mortality is multifactorial. One important aspect is the suboptimal knowledge and awareness of risk factors. Methods: To increase awareness of CRC prevention and screening, we collaborated with community-based organizations (CBOs) to develop culturally tailored educational materials targeting African/Black Americans (BAs), Asian Americans (AAs), and Hispanic Americans (HAs). The topics included essential CRC and screening knowledge, a healthy diet (Mediterranean diet), and at-home workout routines. Eligible participants from the Greater Philadelphia area and New York City participated in one-time education. Pre- and post-intervention surveys were designed based on the Colorectal Cancer Quiz provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and were administered to assess the immediate impact of the educational sessions. Results: The analysis sample included 413 participants, among which 388 completed the post-survey. One in ten (10.3%) reported a family history of CRC, and a half (50.6%) had never had a colonoscopy. The baseline CRC knowledge score was 9.5 out of 16, indicating a moderately low level of knowledge. Participants scored particularly low on the age of CRC screening initiation, needs for screening even without symptoms, and the impact of physical activity on CRC risk. The knowledge score significantly increased to 10.9 (p < .001) at post-survey, indicating a significant impact of the educational workshops. Conclusion: The findings of our project confirm that the CRC screening rates are low in racial/ethnic minorities compared to the U.S. national rate of 71.6%. Meanwhile, it also confirmed that culturally tailored, community-based educational initiatives can effectively raise knowledge of CRC in medically underserved populations. Citation Format: Ellen J. Kim, LIn Zhu, Wenyue Lu, Safa Ibrahim, Steven Zhu, Nathaly Rubio-Torio, Evelyn González, Marilyn A. Fraser, Ming-Chin Yeh, Grace X. Ma, Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi, Yin Tan. Increasing knowledge of colorectal cancer (CRC) risk factors and screening through a community-based education initiative [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr B056.

Background: The Temple University Fox Chase Cancer Center and Hunter College Cancer Health Disparity Partnership (TUFCCC/HC Cancer Partnership) is a comprehensive collaborative cancer health research infrastructure in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City (PNN) Region. Its goals are to enhance equity in cancer health through rigorous and sustainable cancer research, train the next generation of researchers, and establish community outreach programs. Establishing and strengthening a bidirectional academic-community partnership is a key component of this partnership. While such collaborative relationships have been strongly endorsed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), little has been documented demonstrating how such partnership can be created and maintained. Objectives: Building on previous established collaborative relationships with the community-based organizations (CBOs), we created and expanded a bidirectional, academic–community partnership in African American, Asian American, and Latinx communities in the PNN region to (1) assess the level of awareness of cancer prevention knowledge; (2) identify community needs and barriers to cancer prevention healthcare services; (3) jointly develop and implement community-based educational initiatives to promote cancer prevention in medically underserved communities. Methods: In this presentation, we established a comprehensive evaluation metric to assess the bidirectional partnership. The metric, its outputs, and outcomes were adapted from the Evaluation Metrics Manual published by the National Institute of Environmental Health Services of NIH. We also formed a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to guide our bidirectional communication and jointly develop a community-driven cancer education agenda. Results: The CAB played a critical role in the development of the bidirectional partnership. They provided key inputs in identifying the goals and benchmarks of the educational initiative, and in facilitating the recruitment and implementation of the initiative. Our evaluation indicated that a bidirectional partnership is an interactive and non-linear process that requires constant feedback and communication. We identified several successes and challenges during our co-learning and co-implementing process. We also identified areas for improvement, specifically, establishing a more efficient channel for information and resource sharing, and greater efforts on dissemination of scientific findings to the community. Conclusions: Actively engaging CAB and CBOs in the cancer prevention educational initiatives from the onset enhanced the efficacy of the initiatives and strengthened the research training capacity of the academic institutions. We will share best practices in our bidirectional, academic–community partnership building and discuss next steps in adaptation and further development of the partnership. Citation Format: Lin Zhu, Ellen J. Kim, Steven Zhu, Nathaly Rubio-Torio, Evelyn González, Marilyn A. Fraser, Ming-chin Yeh, Marsha Zibalese-Crawford, Grace X. Ma, Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi, Yin Tan. Evaluating a bidirectional academic–community partnership with multiple racial/ethnic communities for cancer prevention initiatives and cancer health disparities research [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr PR010.