Adapting an evidence-based cancer survivor lifestyle program for cancer prevention and control in African American and Hispanic/Latino communities

BACKGROUND: Adapting interventions to meet the needs and desires of the target population is essential to improve intervention uptake and sustainability. Herein, we describe the adaptation of Total Wellness, an evidence-based lifestyle intervention promoting cancer prevention. We applied NCI's Guidelines for Choosing and Adapting Programs and Kreuter's guidelines to culturally tailor our program for Black and Hispanic adults. METHODS: We targeted two adaptations to make the program available to the public through an urban recreation system: (i) tailoring class materials to include non-cancer-affected individuals and (ii) adding cultural adaptation to meet the needs of Black and Hispanic communities residing in an urban city. RESULTS: One hundred community members (58 Black and 42 Hispanic) participated in the adaptation phase through eight focus groups (N = 27), 48 surveys, and a 4-week pilot (n = 25). DISCUSSION: The adaptation of the Total Wellness program provides key insights into centring community perspectives on nutrition and exercise, cancer prevention awareness, and program model components into the translation of an evidence-based intervention (EBI) for a real-world setting to improve access for underserved communities.