Temporal evolution of women's adherence to breast cancer screening based on physical examination conducted by community health workers: Itaberaí project – clinical study

Keywords

screening - breast cancer - clinical study

Introduction: The ITABERAÍ Project is a phase III, randomized, controlled, multicenter clinical trial, where the target population was divided into a Control Group (CG) and an Intervention Group (IG). The intervention consists of a physical breast examination conducted by trained Community Health Workers (CHW) during home visits to women aged 40 years and older. The project is set to be conducted in 11 participating centers over a duration of 16 years, divided into four cycles of four years each. The Itaberaí Project is registered in the ReBEC (Brazilian Register) under number RBR-39vm2nd.

Objective: To evaluate the temporal evolution of participants' adherence to the Itaberaí project.

Method: The evaluation information is derived from the RosaWatch System and Rosa App, developed as an integrated health technology solution for effective action within the Itaberaí Project. For analysis and interpretation, the database is exported to the RedCap Platform. To assess temporal evolution, data were consolidated on the number of women randomized from December 2022 to June 2024 and compared between groups.

Results: The results of this study refer to the first cycle conducted in the municipality of Itaberaí – Goiás, Brazil. At least 1,235 participants were expected to be randomized in each group, according to the sample size calculation. By June 2024, 3,283 women were randomized, with 1,744 (53.1%) in the CG and 1,539 (46.9%) in the IG. The CG reached the expected number five months after the start of randomization, while the IG took ten months. The average randomizations in the CG were 92 ± 120 (p<0.05) participants per month, and in the IG were 81 ± 67 (p<0.05) participants per month.

Conclusion: Both study groups exceeded the minimum required number of participants over time, indicating adherence from the study population and the CHWs. However, it was found that the CG had greater ease of randomization compared to the IG, which required continued training to increase confidence in the development of Itaberaí Project activities over time. Support: Instituto Avon and Libbs Farmacêutica.

Corresponding author: Ruffo de Freitas Júnior (SBM) (e-mail: [e-mail]).

 

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No conflict of interest has been declared by the author(s).

Publication History

Article published online:
06 May 2025