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Learn all about cancer in ‘clear and simple’ series

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Lynn Groom, Crossing Rivers Health education coordinator, presents the Cancer Clear and Simple program to the hospital’s partners group. (Submitted photo)

By Correne Martin

Cancer. What happens when you are diagnosed? What does it all mean? Can we prevent it and how can we do so?

A free, two-part educational cancer series designed to build health knowledge and improve health-related decision making is offered in Crawford County this month. Cancer Clear and Simple spans the topics of cancer basics, prevention, causes, self-care, and finding it early. There will be discussion, videos and interactive activities, as well as demonstrations on how cancer spreads and how to create your own healthy SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time specific) goals.

Cancer Clear and Simple will take place on Wednesdays Oct. 12 and 19, from noon to 2 p.m., at Rivercrest Apartments in Gays Mills and Mondays, Oct. 17 and 24, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Crossing Rivers Health in Prairie du Chien.
Because the Crawford County population has a higher rate of cancer than the state average, the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative of the UW Carbone Cancer Center is working with Crawford County Public Health and UW-Extension and Crossing Rivers Health, through this cancer program, to provide citizens information that may improve their own health and well-being. The program is offered in 30 counties across Wisconsin, including Grant, Lafayette and Sauk in southwest Wisconsin.

“Statewide, rural counties in general have a higher rate of cancer and that has to do with things like employment, geography, economics (poverty, poor health literacy, health care access challenges, and drug and alcohol abuse),” explained Jane Schaaf, UW-Extension family living agent. All of these challenges can contribute to higher incidence of certain cancers in rural areas, and worse outcomes, she said. “So we partnered up and applied for this grant to put together and pilot this educational program.”

The program will cover the gamut of cancers, from skin and colorectal in men and women, to prostate and testicular in men, to cervical and breast in women, according to Lynn Groom, Crossing Rivers Health education coordinator and Cancer Clear and Simple-trained facilitator.

“It’s going to be very interactive,” she noted. “Ideally, people should try to attend both the first and second part of the series.

“According to 2013 statistics, the Crawford County population had higher rates than Wisconsin’s average for lung cancer in particular. The rates among youth smokers and pregnant smokers were quite high,” stated Judy Powell, Crawford County Public Health nurse and fellow facilitator. “We have programs in place currently that reach out to pregnant women and youth in schools to educate them about the dangers of smoking. But this is a different approach. People have to have a basic understanding of cancer and make the connection between their specific behaviors and cancer. They have to realize how important it is to curb those risky behaviors like tobacco use.”

Interestingly, tobacco use, alcohol use, an unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, viruses and chronic infections, and sexually transmitted diseases are the main cancer risk factors worldwide, Powell said. Those account for about 75 percent of potential cancer-causing risk factors that are under a person’s control. On the other hand, risk factors such as family history, perinatal factors, occupational exposure, socioeconomic status and drugs and medical procedures account for the remainder of potential cancer-causing risk factors, which may not be easily avoided.

“So many of the risk factors are under your control,” Schaaf said. “It all comes back to healthy living, like eating healthy, exercising, washing hands and steering clear from drugs and alcohol.

Schaaf added that this program does not come from a lecture approach; instead, participants can consider personal SMART goals, such as adding fruits to every meal or taking a walk every lunch hour.

Powell said everyone will be encouraged to develop their own goals and write a few on a card to be sent to the Carbone Cancer Center, which will send it back to the participant as a friendly reminder of what was accomplished during the program.

“Nobody wants to talk about cancer and everyone acts like [a diagnosis is] out of their control. But there’s just so much people really have control over and they really have to put it into practice.”

According to the World Health Organization, more than 30 percent of cancer deaths could be prevented by modifying or avoiding key risk factors, including:

•tobacco use

•being overweight or obese

•unhealthy diet with low fruit and vegetable intake

•lack of physical activity

•alcohol use

•sexually transmitted HPV-infection

•infection by HBV

•ionizing and non-ionizing radiation

•urban air pollution

•indoor smoke from household use of solid fuels.

Cancer Clear and Simple is available as an interactive presentation for Crawford County community groups who are interested in hosting the program as well. For more details or additional cancer resources, contact Judy Powell at 326-0229 or Jane Schaaf at 326-0223.

For more information about the Cancer Health Disparities Initiative, visit chdi.wisc.edu.

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