Stomach cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death globally. Helicobacter pylori infection is a major known risk factor for stomach cancer.
In Arizona, stomach cancer rates are 3–4 times higher among the Navajo population as compared with the non-Hispanic white population. In the foundational study, “Nobody Is Talking About It”: Diné (Navajo) Communities Speak About Stomach Cancer and Helicobacter pylori Infections, published in the Journal of Cancer Education on July 22, 2020, adult Diné (Navajo) individuals’ understanding and awareness of H. pylori infection and stomach cancer were assessed to inform further research and strategies to lessen the burden of stomach cancer on Navajo Nation.
The qualitative study was conducted by Carmenlita Chief, senior program coordinator for Northern Arizona University Center for Health Equity Research; Priscilla R. Sanderson, NAU Department of Health Sciences; Angela A. A. Willeto, NAU Department of Sociology; Alfred Yazzie, Black Hills Center for American Indian Health; Alexis McKinley, NAU’s Department of Health Sciences; Fernando P. Monroy, NAU Department of Biological Sciences, Robin B. Harris, University of Arizona Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Eyal Oren, San Diego State University Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
To access the study, visit the article.