Native outreach. A report to American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities. Executive summary.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is presenting a monograph written specifically for community leaders, health professionals and lay health workers serving Native American communities. Native Americans have higher mortality rates than the general U.S. population for several major cancer sites. This publication focuses on the need to reduce those rates through effective interventions at the grassroots level. In the NCI Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, culturally sensitive methods for cancer prevention and control are being developed and tested for special populations. Through this monograph, NCI is disseminating information arising from NCI research focused on Native Americans and their cancer control needs. The monograph summarizes interventions designed to reduce cancer rates through studies focusing on breast and cervical cancers, education and screening, tobacco education and policy, smoking cessation and prevention, and nutrition education for Native Americans. In this volume, NCI documents the planning, development and evaluation of seven studies carried out between 1989 to 1966 from two of our Native American research programs: Avoidable Mortality from Cancer in Native American Populations and Primary Prevention of Cancer in Native American Populations. These studies identified key factors contributing to avoidable breast and cervical cancers, implemented programs to increase screening for these cancers, and focused on innovative interventions to eliminate or reduce cancer risks from tobacco and diet