Getting Ahead for Cancer Control

A new, practical program, entitled Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World, provides a novel approach to addressing this previously intractable problem. During the progression through the Getting Ahead program, individuals develop an understanding of the hidden rules of economic class and have an opportunity to craft a hopeful future story based on the practical concepts investigated in the modules. Getting Ahead has shown great success in various organizations and communities in multiple sectors, including healthcare, but has not been studied in the context of advancing cancer prevention and control.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Cancer Prevention
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World

Detailed Description

The study team hypothesizes that the Getting Ahead program, applied in safety net practices with primary care patients living in poverty, will improve cancer prevention and early detection activities, mediated by a shift in future orientation gained through the program.

This pilot study aims to adapt, apply, and evaluate the established Getting Ahead program in a health care setting and assess its effect on cancer prevention and early detection activities for vulnerable populations. By generating process and outcome data on a novel intervention to help people advance out of poverty, this research will set the stage for larger intervention studies, and also will advance understanding of the mechanisms by which growing a future orientation can improve cancer preventive service delivery among vulnerable populations.

Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Implement Getting Ahead among cohorts of patients at a network of safety net practices.
2. Assess the paradigm shift in developing a future orientation associated with participation in the Getting Ahead program.
3. Evaluate the effect of the Getting Ahead program and its associated paradigm shift on graduates' cancer prevention and early detection activities.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 43
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Ohio
    • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106
      • Case Western Reserve University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child; Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Interest and willingness to commit to the 8 week Getting Ahead training program that will occur over 16 sessions occurring twice a week
• Willingness to commit to follow-up with his/her primary care provider after completion of the Getting Ahead training program
• Willingness to be randomized to an immediate or delayed (by 8 weeks) start date
• Ability to speak English

Exclusion Criteria:

• There are no exclusion criteria

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Prevention
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Getting Ahead Program; 12 staggered cohorts will be given the Getting Ahead program, using the established Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World program. Six practices will be used. Each participant will come in for 16 session over an eight week period and will be followed up six months post intervention

Behavioral: Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin'-By World; The Getting Ahead program is a unique welldeveloped program that allows carefully guided introspection toward the crafting of tailored solutions aimed at addressing complex social determinants of health among individuals living in vulnerable populations where the achievement of health equity often seems unattainable. The important lens of health equity is a key component of this proposal and is consistent with the American Cancer Society overarching emphasis on reduction of health disparities and achievement of health equity.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in composite score of cancer prevention	Change in composite score of cancer prevention based on changes in cognition, intention and behavior regarding tobacco reduction, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity; Immunizations for human papillomavirus (HPV) or hepatitis B; Age/sex appropriate use of Pap tests, mammograms, stool tests, endoscopy or imaging studies for colorectal cancer	From baseline up to 3 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in composite score of progress toward a future orientation	change in composite scores based on 11 resource areas with a score ranging from 1-5 (total scores ranging from 11-55 with 55 being the most stable score). The score indicates the level of stability	From baseline up to 3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Heidi Gullett, MD, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 8, 2017
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 4, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): March 4, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 9, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 11, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): August 14, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 20, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 17, 2025
• Last Verified: April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: vulnerable population; getting ahead; safety net practice network
• Other Study ID Numbers: CASE11Z17

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No