Cancer Leadership Training for Clergy Wives and Widows

Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

Status: Completed

Conditions: Patient Empowerment; Cancer

Treatments: Behavioral: Cancer Survivorship Leadership Training for Clergy Wives and Widows

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04544241

5U54MD007598-15 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

1530494-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Multiple cancer health disparities exist for underrepresented minority groups, such as higher late stage diagnoses and greater cancer-related deaths. Among African Americans, there is an increased cancer survivorship and caregiving burden, which necessitates more support and resources during these phases. The African American church has been evidenced to be a trusted source of resource and provide culturally competent care and contribute to decreasing these disparities. Importantly, the leadership of the African American churches are pivotal to the health and wellness of this population. One important leader is the clergy wife or widow, who is understudied but vital to the function of the church function and activities. The long-term goal of this proposed study is to develop a leadership training program for clergy wives and widows with emphasis on cancer survivorship and caregiving. The objective of this pilot project is to develop and test the Cancer Survivorship and Caregiver Leadership Education for Clergy Wives and Widows, with specific emphasis of cultural and spiritual considerations of African American cancer survivors and caregivers. The rationale for this project, is that African American clergy wives and widows can receive the necessary training to assist cancer survivors and caregivers in the management of physical, emotional, psychosocial, spiritual, and financial challenges. This study will be accomplished in four aims, which are 1) Develop skills and knowledge to perform an in-depth culturally sensitive need assessment and intervention map tailored for aging African American cancer survivors and caregivers, 2) To increase cancer survivorship and caregiving leadership education and activities for African American Clergy Wives and Widows, and 3) Enhance awareness of cancer-related health issues and its relationship to key determinants among aging cancer survivors and caregivers. This project is innovative in establishing a culturally and spiritually tailored intervention to develop the training of Clergy Wives and Widows to provide appropriate education for community dwelling African American survivors and caregivers. This research is significant because of its potential to inform cancer and caregiving related research and evidence-based practice for both health care professionals and community organizations and institutions to improve long term-health outcomes.

Enrollment: 37 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Identify as either a clergy wife or widow
• Identify as African American and/or Black
• Live within the boundaries of Los Angeles County
• Be at least 18 years of age
• Speak and/or read English

Exclusion criteria

• Does not identify as a clergy wife or widow
• Does not self-identify as African American and/or Black
• Lives outside the boundaries of Los Angeles County
• Under the age of 18
• Unable to speak and/or read English

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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37 participants in 1 patient group

Clergy Wives and Widows

Experimental group

Description:

We will provide cancer survivorship and caregiving leadership education and activities for African American Clergy Wives and Widows by creating an educational partnership program aimed towards church-based health education on cancer survivorship and caregiving

Treatment:

Behavioral: Cancer Survivorship Leadership Training for Clergy Wives and Widows