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The Reach and Rationale for Community Health Fairs

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Abstract

Latinos living in the USA account for one third of the uninsured population and face numerous cultural, linguistic, and financial barriers to accessing healthcare services. Community health fairs have developed to address the unmet need for no- and low-cost services that target prevention and education among underserved communities. The current research describes an ongoing effort in a community in Southern California and examines the barriers to health care among participants registering to receive free breast health screenings, one of the major services offered at a 2010 health fair. A total of 186 adult Latina women completed a brief questionnaire assessing their healthcare utilization and self-reported barriers to engaging in preventive and screening services. Approximately two thirds of the participants reported never receiving or having more than 2 years passing since receiving a preventive health check-up. Participants identified cost (64.5 %) and knowledge of locations for services (52.3 %) as the primary barriers to engaging in routine healthcare services. Engaging with health professionals represents a leading way in which adults obtain health information; health fairs offering cancer health screenings represent a culturally appropriate venue for increased cancer health equity. Implications of the current research for future health fairs and their role in community cancer education are discussed.

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Notes

  1. The group was initially founded as the MANA in 1974, but has subsequently changed its name to MANA, A National Latina Organization, to better incorporate the group's mission to serve all Latinas.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the health fair planning committee organizations and providers and Venus Gines of Día de la Mujer Latina who supported the health fair in planning and implementation. This study was supported in part by the National Cancer Institute, Comprehensive Partnerships to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities Program, grants #1U54CA132384 and #1U54CA132379.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, 0725, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0725, USA

    Kate Murray, Annie Liang & Ana M. Navarro

  2. The College of New Jersey, Ewing Township, NJ, USA

    Jessica Barnack-Tavlaris

  3. MANA de San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA

    Ana M. Navarro

Authors
  1. Kate Murray
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  2. Annie Liang
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  3. Jessica Barnack-Tavlaris
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  4. Ana M. Navarro
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Correspondence to Kate Murray.

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Murray, K., Liang, A., Barnack-Tavlaris, J. et al. The Reach and Rationale for Community Health Fairs. J Canc Educ 29, 19–24 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0528-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0528-3

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