Melanoma Perception and Health Literacy in People of Color

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.

A modified melanoma educational intervention that uses the "ABCDEs of Melanoma" pamphlet from the Skin Cancer Foundation but also incorporates the nomenclature "melanoma skin cancer"; indicates that melanoma is relevant for everyone regardless of race and ethnicity; includes images of melanoma on ethnic skin; informs people of the likelihood of melanoma developing in acral, subungual and mucosal surfaces; and provides guidance on self-skin examinations.

A conventional melanoma educational intervention using the "ABCDEs of Melanoma" pamphlet from the Skin Cancer Foundation.

The subject will complete 3 questionnaires: one pre-intervention, one immediately post-intervention and one 2 months post-intervention. 5 questions will assess whether or not the patient has completed skin-self examinations and knows which areas of the skin to pay attention to. The pre-intervention and 2 month post-intervention questionnaire will be evaluated to determine the number of participants that performed regular self-skin examinations.

Number of Participants With Correct Answers on Melanoma Perception Pre-intervention and 2 Months Post-intervention

The subject will complete 3 questionnaires: one pre-intervention, one post-intervention, and one 2 months post-intervention. Several questions will assess the participants knowledge of general melanoma, what it looks like and what are its risk factors. To determine participant retention, the pre-intervention and 2 month post-intervention questionnaires will be evaluated.

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

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