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Socioeconomic Status Related Cancer Disparities Program (SESRCD) About SESRCD History Cancer Stats Cancer & Health Disparities Resources News & Events Publications Contact Us About SESRCD What roles do psychologists and other behavioral and social scientists play in cancer prevention and control in underserved communities? A familiar answer is: they provide theoretical, research, and evaluation data needed to develop evidence-based interventions. A less common response is that psychologists and other behavioral and social scientists including anthropologists, public health experts, social workers, and sociologists are effective resources and community collaborators in cancer control and prevention efforts. The American Psychological Association (APA) places value not only on creating and communicating scientific knowledge, but also on translating and applying that knowledge within local contexts to promote health, education, and human welfare in traditionally underserved populations and communities. In 2008, APA entered into a five year, $1.75 million cooperative agreement with the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (CDC-DCPC) to implement the Socioeconomic Status Related Cancer Disparities Program (SESRCD). Administered through APA’s Office on Socioeconomic Status (OSES), SESRCD is a broad national strategy to mobilize psychologists and other behavioral and social scientists to provide community cancer serving organizations and stakeholders with individualized capacity building assistance (CBA) to access, adopt, adapt, and utilize evidence-/practice-based strategies that address SES related cancer disparities. SESRCD maintains that irrespective of race, ethnicity, gender, age, disability, or sexual orientation, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities are disproportionately affected by cancer and have lower survival rates than their more socioeconomically affluent counterparts. In order to meet the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating cancer health disparities, it is important to focus on underserved populations that suffer a heavier burden of cancer. Mission: To strengthen the capacity of local community cancer serving organizations and stakeholders to access, adopt, and utilize evidence-/practice-based strategies in order to improve or initiate cancer prevention, early-detection, and survivorship in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Goals: The primary goals of the SESRCD Program are to: Establish and maintain the infrastructure and strategic guidance necessary to support the systematic development and effective implementation of SESRCD activities. Develop and sustain a network of psychologists, anthropologists, sociologists, public health experts, and other behavioral health scientists (BSSVs) to provide community cancer serving organizations and stakeholders with individualized capacity building assistance to access, adopt, adapt, and utilize evidence-/practice-based strategies in addressing SES related cancer disparities. Develop, publish, and disseminate nationwide a professional development training resource designed to: increase participants’ intentions to act on and/or advocate for systemic organizational climate change that facilitates the initiation or improvement of professional services to address SES related cancer disparities; and provide participants with a process for carrying out their increased intentions to improve cancer prevention and control among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Develop and maintain a web based network of community cancer serving organizations, stakeholders, and BSSVs to disseminate and translate professional development training activities into practice. back to top History In 1971, the United States Congress passed the National Cancer Act to advance the national effort against cancer. Despite advances in the implementation of cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the U.S. today. Furthermore, disparities in cancer incidence and mortality remain. Disparities in cancer are caused by the complex interplay of social position, economic status, culture, and environment (NCI, 2002). Socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals disproportionately share the burden of cancer. Socioeconomic indicators such as income, education, and health insurance coverage influence cancer risk factors including tobacco use, poor nutrition, physical inactivity, and obesity (Institute of Medicine, 2003). For all cancers combined, residents of counties in the U.S. with a greater than 20% poverty rate have a 13% higher death rate in men and 3% higher death rate in women (Ward et al., 2004). In response to growing public awareness about health disparities across the entire health spectrum, the US Department of Health and Human Services made it a goal of Healthy People 2010 “to eliminate health disparities among segments of the population, including differences that occur by gender, race or ethnicity, education or income, disability, geographic location, or sexual orientation.” The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a leader in nationwide efforts to fulfill this goal of Healthy People 2010 as it relates specifically to the burden of cancer. Through the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC), CDC works with national cancer organizations, state health agencies, and other key groups to develop, implement, and promote effective strategies for preventing and controlling cancer.  In an effort to assist national organizations in developing, enhancing, and coordinating cancer prevention and control activities specifically for underserved populations, CDC-DCPC issued program announcement DP08-815: National Organization Activities for Cancer Control in Underserved Populations in 2008. The American Psychological Association’s Office on Socioeconomic Status responded to the announcement and was subsequently awarded a cooperative agreement to implement the Socioeconomic Status Related Cancer Disparities Program (SESRCD). Modeled after long established APA-CDC collaborations such as the Behavioral and Social Science Volunteer (BSSV) Program (funded by CDC’s Division on HIV and AIDS Prevention) and the Healthy Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Students Project (funded by CDC’s Division on Adolescent School Health), SESRCD is a broad national strategy to strengthen the capacity of community cancer serving organizations and stakeholders to access, adopt, adapt, and utilize evidence-/practice-based strategies that address SES-related cancer disparities in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. In line with Healthy People 2010, SESRCD focuses its efforts on socioeconomically disadvantaged communities that are disproportionately affected by cancer and have lower survival rates than their more socioeconomically affluent counterparts. Although national in scope, SESRCD aims to be local in impact. By drawing on the expertise of a diverse network of behavioral and social scientists, SESRCD will integrate theoretical research knowledge with real world applications and community action to forge strategic partnerships, mobilize existing community assets, and use evidence-/practice-based strategies to impact systems that improve health outcomes and reduce cancer disparities in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.    References: CDC. (2008/2009). Division of Cancer Prevention and Control Facts. Available online at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/00_pdf/0809_dcp c_fs.pdf National Cancer Institute. (2002). Reducing cancer-related health disparities. Available online at http://plan2002.cancer.gov/infreduce.htm Institute of Medicine. (2003). Unequal treatment: confronting racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. Washington, DC:  National Academy Press. Singh G.K., B.A. Miller, B.F. Hankey, E.J. Feuer, L.W. Pickle (2002). Changing area Socioeconomic patterns in U.S. cancer mortality, 1950-1998: Part I – All cancers among men. Journal of the National Cancer Institute 94(12), 904 – 915. Ward, E., Jemal, A., Cokkinides, V., Singh, G. K., Cardinez, C., Ghafoor, A., and Thun, M. (2004). Cancer disparities by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 54(2), 78-93. back to top Cancer Stats FACT: “Every year, at least 7 million people die from cancer [worldwide], more than HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. And almost half of these deaths are avoidable.” (WHO, 2007). FACT: In the United States, 1 in 2 individuals will be diagnosed with cancer during their lifetime and in 2008 alone 565,650 people were estimated to have died from cancer. (Ries et al. 2005). FACT: Socioeconomically disadvantage individuals are disproportionately affected by cancer in the United States: For all cancers combined, residents of counties in the U.S. with a greater than 20% poverty rate have a 13% higher death rate in men and 3% higher death rate in women (Ward et al., 2004). Among people who develop cancer, the five-year survival rate is more than 10 percentage points higher for persons who live in affluent census tracts than for persons who live in poorer census tracts (Singh et al., 2003). Regardless of race/ethnicity, men and women whose income is less than twice the poverty level are much more likely to be current smokers than those with higher incomes. These disparities result in part from targeted promotion and advertising by cigarette companies (Singh et al., 2003). It has been estimated that between 2.4% and 4.8% of all US cancer deaths are occupationally related. Most of these deaths are due to lung cancer, bladder cancer, and mesothelioma. Exposure to many known occupational carcinogens, such as asbestos, is concentrated among manual and industrial workers, which may contribute to differences in cancer incidence by socioeconomic status (Singh et al., 2003). For the four cancer sites for which screening is widely recommended or practiced (colorectal, female breast, cervix, and prostate), the proportion of cases diagnosed at localized stage is lower and the proportion diagnosed at distant stage is higher in high-poverty compared with low-poverty census tracts (Singh et al., 2003). FACT: The United States Health and Human Services has made eliminating all health disparities including cancer disparities a major goal of Healthy People 2010. References: Ries, L.A.G, Melbert, D., Krapcho, M., Stinchcomb, D.G., Howlader, N., Horner, M.J., Mariotto, A., Miller, B.A., Feuer, E.J., Altekruse, S.F., Lewis, D.R., Clegg, L., Eisner, M.P., Reichman, M., Edwards, B.K. (eds). (2008). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2005, Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. Available online at http://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2005/index. html Singh G.K., Miller B.A., Hankey B.F., Edwards B.K. (2003). Area socioeconomic variations in U.S. cancer incidence, mortality, stage, treatment, and survival, 1975–1999. NCI Cancer Surveillance Monograph Series, Number 4.  Bethesda, MD: National Cancer Institute. NIH Publication No. 03-0000. Available online at http://seer.cancer.gov/publicatio ns/ses/ses_monograph.pdf Singh, G.K., Miller, B.A., Hankey, B.F., Feuer, E.J., Pickle, L.W. (2002). Changing area socioeconomic patterns in U.S. cancer mortality, 1950-1998: Part I – All cancers among men.  Journal of the National Cancer Institute 94(12), 904 – 915. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2000). Healthy people 2010: Understanding and improving health. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Available online at http://www.healthypeople. gov/Document/tableofcontents.htm#volume1 WHO (2007). The World Health’s Organization’s fight against cancer: Strategies that prevent, cure, and care. Geneva: WHO Press. Available online at http://www.who.int/ca ncer/publicat/WHOCancerBrochure2007.FINALweb.pdf back to top Cancer and Health Disparities Resources CDC: CDC Department of Cancer Prevention and Control CDC National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program CDC Health Disparities in Cancer CDC Office of Minority Health & Health Disparities (OMHD) National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) NCI: National Cancer Institute National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities National Cancer Institute Cancer Health Disparities National Cancer Institute’s Train the Trainer Program Other Resources: Cancer Control P.L.A.N.E.T. (Plan, Link, Act, Network with Evidence-based Tools) links to comprehensive cancer control resources for public health professionals US Department of Health & Human Services: The Office of Minority Health American Cancer Society Statistics Intercultural Cancer Council back to top News & Events Professional Development Training Resource (PDTR) Pilot Workshop: Reducing Cancer Disparities and Promoting Health Equity Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Populations Starting in August, SESRCD is piloting its Professional Development Training Resource (PDTR) workshop in Washington, DC, New York, NY, Berlin, MD, Philadelphia, PA, and Tucson, AZ. The PDTR workshop is a 6-7 hour workshop for community based organization, comprehensive cancer control coalition, and health department professionals who want to initiate or improve cancer prevention or control services for socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Learn more about the workshop, including how to register for an upcoming workshop. SESRCD Trains Psychologists and other Behavioral and Social Science Volunteers (BSSVs) in the Fight Against Cancer Related Health Disparities SESRCD in Monitor on Psychology February 2009. back to top Publications SESRCD Brochure back to top Contact Us SESRCD Staff Rebecca Johnson Administrative Coordinator Helena Dagadu, MPH Program Manager Keyona King-Tsikata, MPH Program Director Office on Socioeconomic Status American Psychological Association 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC 20002-4242 Phone: (202) 218-3589 Fax: (202) 336-6198 Email For more information or questions about the program contact: The Socioeconomic Status Related Cancer Disparities Program by email. back to top