# Development of a culturally adapted pediatric cancer awareness campaign in Tanzania

> **NIH NIH P30** · DUKE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $199,940

## Abstract

Project Summary: This application is being submitted in response to the Notice of Special
Interest (NOSI) identified as NOT-CA-20-032. In 2014, the Duke Global Cancer program was
created forming a partnership between Duke University and Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) in
Mwanza Tanzania, with a goal of improving quality of pediatric cancer care through research and
clinical capacity development. This program is supported by the Duke Cancer Institute CCSG
P30 grant whose aims include the integration of community outreach and global cancer
development. In this current supplement application, we further these aims both domestically and
globally through the development of contextually and culturally adapted pediatric cancer
awareness media and evaluation of implementation strategy selection for use in Tanzania.
 Each year, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) account for over 85% of the
400,000 newly diagnosed pediatric cancer cases, with a 60% survival disparity exists compared
to high-income countries. A key-contributing factor to this disparity is low community awareness
and misbeliefs about childhood cancer and its treatment resulting in presentation delays and
subsequent treatment abandonment. Culturally tailored and contextually relevant awareness
interventions are more likely than simple translated education media to increase cancer
knowledge and cancer health-seeking behavior. Although Swahili is the most common African
language with 82 million speakers globally, including 270,000 in the US, no contextually validated
pediatric cancer education media exist for many use in Swahili speaking communities.
 The current proposal will develop adapted childhood cancer awareness media in Swahili
through the examination of the inherent cultural values and beliefs that influence health care
seeking behavior among Tanzanian communities and potential implementation strategies for
future intervention implementation. In Aim 1 we propose to complete multi-site community based
focus groups to identify beliefs about cancer and education preferences among Swahili speakers
in Tanzania. Results will inform education content consensus and presentation preferences
through an iterative Delphi process with an expert advisory group including representatives from
each of the three pediatric cancer referral hospitals in Tanzania. In Aim 2 we will use a mixed
method analysis to evaluate the acceptability and contextual relevance of validated education
implementation strategies. Selected strategies will be pilot tested with a 2-week media community
exposure to determine potential implementation barriers for future scale up and efficacy
evaluation studies.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10164470
- **Project number:** 3P30CA014236-46S2
- **Recipient organization:** DUKE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Michael B Kastan
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $199,940
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1997-01-01 → 2024-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10164470

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10164470, Development of a culturally adapted pediatric cancer awareness campaign in Tanzania (3P30CA014236-46S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10164470. Licensed CC0.

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