ASPO Abstracts
Adaptation to Digital Data Collection for Prostate Cancer Research during Covid-19 in Rural Alabama
Category: COVID-19 and Cancer
Conference Year: 2021
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Prostate cancer screening (PCS) is marked by racial/ethnic disparities, particularly among
African American (AA) men who are often diagnosed at younger age with advanced-stage disease. We
proposed a qualitative study using group concept mapping (GCM) approach to understand the barriers and
facilitators for PCS and develop best practices to improve PCS among AA men. GCM is a participatory and
structured methodology for organizing a group's ideas around a specific topic or question. Stakeholders
are tasked with brainstorming of ideas as a group, sorting and rating the ideas based on similarity and
importance; and interpret the concept maps generated from analyzing the ideas. We offer critical
reflections on conducting GCM on an online platform among AA men in Alabama amid COVID-19 crisis.
Methods: County-based program coordinators recruited 112 AA men aged 35 to 70 years from an urban
(n=47) and three rural counties (n=65) in Alabama; 50% of the men recruited were between 35 to 50 years.
In addition, measures were taken to recruit transgender men in the study. Due to COVID-19 and social
distancing measures, study procedures were changed from in-person data collection to virtual data
collection. Study packages with instruction manual were mailed to the participants followed by multiple
phone calls to encourage participation and manage technical problems.
Results: Participants completing brainstorming session generated >100 statements. The level of interest
and the quality of the data obtained was similar to that typically found in face-to-face groups. However,
some issues remain, particularly in relation to limited access to internet and electronic devices, digital
illiteracy and difficulty in navigating GCM software. Personal and persistent engagement of county
coordinators was critical for recruitment and retention of the participants.
Conclusion: Our experience with using virtual GCM suggests that it has the potential to offer a realistic, low
cost and comparable alternative to face-to-face focus groups. However, researchers must factor in digital
inequalities that essentially reflect social inequalities such as lack of economic resources, digital illiteracy
and geographic isolation; and delineate resources to address them.
Keywords: Prostate cancer, digital inequalities, concept mapping