Young Adult Community Health Advisor-Led Intervention to Promote Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake Among South Asians in Hong Kong: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Colorectal cancer is the most common cancer globally, and its prevalence is high in minority populations.

Objectives: To investigate the effectiveness of a young adult community health advisor (YACHA)-led intervention in enhancing the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake rate among asymptomatic South Asians aged 50 to 75 years residing in Hong Kong and to investigate the acceptability of this intervention.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial design was adopted. Eighty asymptomatic South Asian participants aged 50 to 75 years were recruited from the community in Hong Kong and then randomly allocated either to a YACHA-led intervention group or a control group. The intervention group received YACHA-led intervention, whereas the control group would receive the intervention after all follow-up assessments. The outcome measure was the uptake of CRC screening test. The acceptability of the intervention was explored through semistructured interviews.

Results: The findings showed that the CRC screening uptake rate of the intervention group was significantly higher than that of the control group (85.0% vs 2.5%, P < .001). All the interviewees were satisfied with the intervention.

Conclusion: The YACHA-led intervention improves the uptake of CRC screening among asymptomatic South Asians.

Implications for practice: It is suggested that more resources should be allocated to empower young members of minority groups to reduce the health disparity.