A survey conducted several years ago by Hutchinson Center researchers found such beliefs were prevalent among Hispanics living in eastern Washington. When combined with a language barrier and a lack of access to cancer information, these attitudes may help explain why the death toll from cancer is higher among Hispanics than other populations even though their incidence of cancer is generally no greater.

Elena Garcia, a mother of five from Prosser, Wash., wanted to help change the situation. She joined Celebrating Health, a cancer-awareness and prevention program sponsored by the Hutchinson Center. Part of a $3 million, federally funded study, Celebrating Health was designed to improve access to cancer information and treatment among residents in Washington's largely Hispanic Lower Yakima Valley.

As a participant, Garcia hosted "home health parties" to help educate family and friends about the importance of cancer screening and prevention. A Fred Hutchinson staff member, armed with brochures and photos, conducted each party in Spanish. "Most of the people who came didn't speak English, so we really appreciated that the class and all of the materials and handouts were in Spanish," said Garcia.

"Before the home health parties I didn't know a lot of things about cancer prevention," Garcia said. She now gets screened annually for breast and cervical cancer and is improving her diet. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment has been getting her husband, Pablo, to get a colon-cancer screening test. "I told him, 'We have three little ones and they need us,' and so I convinced him to go. I wouldn't have done that before."

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