Oregon's Familias en Acción replicates benefits for underserved cancer co-survivors through Un Abrazo Para la Familia

Objective: Our goal in this study was to determine if we could replicate initial findings when providing the intervention, Un Abrazo Para La Familia (“Abrazo”). Abrazo is a community-focused psychoeducational preventive intervention addressing the cancer information and coping needs of low-income, underserved family members of cancer survivors, developed and first implemented in Tucson, Arizona. Methods: We used a preintervention and postintervention evaluation design to assess the effectiveness of replicating the Abrazo intervention with underserved Hispanic/Latino family members facing cancer as co-survivors. We describe lessons learned in an expansion of Abrazo from one region of the United States to another. Results: Portland promotoras demonstrated that when the Abrazo intervention is provided via a culturally congruent, accessible format, the significant gains in cancer knowledge and self-efficacy reported by underserved co-survivors can be replicated. This is important because Oregon represents a US region different from Abrazo's origins in the Southwest. Conclusion: Our replication study provides a useful roadmap for others focusing on the psychosocial needs of Hispanic/Latino cosurviving family members of cancer. A manualized 12-hour training program based on the initial discovery and efficacy work was developed to train promotoras as a part of this study. The manual provides a clear protocol for others to replicate our intervention and evaluation procedures. Abrazo may be particularly important for family-centered care if the family does not have the cancer knowledge or self-confidence needed to fully participate.