Abstract
Objective: This field report investigated the feasibility and potential of the learning partner model alongside health education programs hosted by Japanese municipalities to promote diffusion of cancer knowledge in the community.
Methods: A self-administered pretest and posttest questionnaire survey was conducted for the attendants (primary participants, n=58) and their respective family members or friends (secondary participants, n=53 for pretest and 54 for posttest) about the session focusing on cancer in a health education course. The course was conducted for the residents in two municipalities, and it covered a variety of topics over 28-30 sessions including cancer. The questionnaires covered socio-demographic characteristics, cancer prevention and control knowledge, relation between primary and secondary participants, and intention to share the information learned through the cancer session. SPSS was utilized to conduct descriptive and comparative analyses.
Results: Knowledge about cancer risk factors improved at posttest compared to pretest. The improvement was greater among primary participants (p<0.01) compared to secondary participants. The study also showed that primary participants had shared cancer-session information with their learning partners as reported by all primary participants and 85% of the secondary participants.
Conclusion: This pilot project was found feasible in implementing the learning partner model in conjunction with community health education programs conducted by municipalities in Japan. The results demonstrate the potential of the model to diffuse health knowledge from the class attendants to their social networks in the community. Further studies are necessary to build on the experience of this project and refine implementation and evaluation strategies.
