Researchers identify cases of best practices in Europe to reduce inequalities in cancer prevention

The Area of Cancer and Public Health of the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of Valencia Region (Fisabio) has been taking part in the consortium of the European Commission Innovative Partnership for Action Against Cancer (iPAAC) since 2018. Researchers of this area have identified cases of "best practices" in Europe in order to reduce inequalities in cancer prevention.

Recently, the report where all the effective interventions for the reduction of these inequalities are gathered has been published. Some of these initiatives have been carried out in countries such as Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, Italy and Slovenia.

With the aim of identifying the successful cases to reduce the inequalities in cancer prevention, in February 2019, this research group of Fisabio launched a contest about best practices in Europe. It was widely disseminated on the websites and social media of the consortium partners, targeting circles of experts in this field. From there, a panel of international specialists evaluated the proposals presented and, according to rigorous criteria, selected the best initiatives.

Identifying and spreading best practices to reduce social inequalities in cancer prevention contributes to focus on the importance of improving equity in having healthy habits that reduce the risk of developing cancer, as well as in accessing early detection programs."

Ana Molina, Head of the Area of Cancer and Public Health, Fisabio

Best practices

The best practices that address social inequalities in cancer prevention can be grouped in two big blocks: strategies to promote health, targeted to promote healthier lifestyle habits in the socially vulnerable population; and secondly, initiatives to reduce inequalities in the access to early cancer detection programs.

Regarding best practices in promoting health, the identified strategies are focused on encouraging healthy attitudes to prevent cancer and reduce inequalities. This group includes labeling certain foods with colors, which improves the information for the consumer about their nutritional value; courses whose aim is to help have a healthier shopping cart without unneeded spending in disadvantaged population sectors; and strategies to raise awareness about the importance of giving up smoking in teenagers.

In addition, these best practices include programs focused on overweight and obesity prevention in children born in socially vulnerable families; and programs to reduce a sedentary lifestyle in women and the population with a low education level, through advising physical activity in the e-prescription provided during primary care visits.

Furthermore, early detection initiatives selected as best practices are focused, for example, on improving digital access to the websites of cancer screening programs, in order to encourage the informed participation of the disabled population; and implementing screening test alerts through letters or messages to smartphones.

These best practices have also been focused on improving communication with the target population of the programs both directly from the primary care team and through peer groups, for example, neighbors of the same neighborhood (such as in the RIU Valencia initiative); as well as implementing awareness-raising campaigns with opinion leaders and patients, with informative talks and leisure activities.

Strategies exchange

Marta Hernández García, researcher at the Area of Cancer and Public Health of Fisabio explains that "all the selected interventions have proved to be effective to reduce the contrast between different social sectors. It is productive to publicize these successful cases, since they provide alternatives to cut recurrent problems in different scenarios and countries. Indeed, some initiatives are being reproduced in places other than those where they were born."

A specific website has been created, within the iPAAC project website, to collect both the selected best practices and the methodological materials used in the contest:
https://www.ipaac.eu/en/contest-best-practices/