Formative Assessment, Adaptation, and Evaluation of Breast and Cervical Health Curriculum of Foreign-Born Muslim Women in Massachusetts

Status: Past Project
Year: 2016
Location: Massachusetts
Client: Government organizations
Services Provided: Assessment and Planning, Training and Technical Assistance, Research & Evaluation
Technical Expertise: Other


The Women’s Health Network Care Coordination Program (CCP), a prevention and early detection program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), engaged HRiA to adapt an educational breast and cervical health curriculum, Helping You Take Care of Yourself, for the Muslim community in Massachusetts using an iterative community engagement process. This process was guided by an Advisory Committee that included representation from community leaders and health professionals who were experienced in working with Muslim communities. As a first step, HRiA engaged 80 members of the Muslim community and 15 community stakeholders in interviews and focus groups as part of an assessment to understand breast and cervical cancer screening attitudes, practices, and barriers in Muslim communities and the health care settings that serve them across the state. Using findings from this assessment, HRiA, MDPH, and Advisory Committee members adapted an existing breast and cervical health educational curriculum, and pilot tested and evaluated this adaptation. The adaptation included revising content based on feedback from the assessment, capturing photos representative of the audience, and translation into Arabic. The adapted curriculum was then pilot tested in Arabic at a mosque, and the pilot test was evaluated using surveys and focus groups. This pilot test evaluation gathered data on the relevancy and appropriateness of the culturally adapted curriculum, overall satisfaction with curriculum, and effectiveness of the curriculum in changing knowledge and attitudes about breast and cervical cancer screening. Evaluation results were used to revise and finalize the curriculum, which is available in PowerPoint slides and hard copy flipbooks distributed by the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.