Background:Demographic trends suggest that the number of people with an intellectual disability (ID) is increasing with a corresponding increase in the older demographic profile (Barron and Mulvaney, 2005). Consequently the numbers who are at risk of developing cancer is increasing, including breast cancer (Sullivan et al., 2003).Breast health has been identified as an important area of care for women with an intellectual disability however, knowledge and understanding of breast self-examination and screening is limited (Collins et al 2014). Accessible health promotion information, targeted at all patients, irrespective of their level of health literacy is critical. This will facilitate them to make informed choices and assume ownership of their health (Hanna et al 2011). In recent years, the use of technology has been found to be a valuable tool in educating individuals with intellectual disabilities, highlighting the potential benefit of using a technology-assisted tool in a future breast health promoting intervention.
Aims/Objectives: To develop a technology-enhanced health promotion programme to enhance breast cancer awareness among women with a mild intellectual disability.
Design & Methods:The Intervention Mapping (IM) development process will be the methodological approach adopted to develop this programme. IM consists of 6 steps: (1) Needs assessment; (2) Definition of Proximal Programme Objectives (PPO); (3) Election of the theoretic methods and practical strategies; (4) Programme design; (5) Implementation & Adoption; and (6) Evaluation (Bartholomew et al 2011). Steps 1 to 5 will be undertaken for this research project.
Implications:A technology-enhanced health promotion programme to enhance breast cancer awareness among women with intellectual disabilities will support an environment for cancer detection by improving knowledge related to breast cancer prevention, including the early recognition of symptoms and developing an improved understanding regarding the importance of help-seeking and timely investigations.
