Lay Health Advisors Program in China and Taiwan

Program Overview 

With funding from Susan G. Koman Headquarter, HAAP implemented an international project to increase breast health awareness and access to detection of breast cancer through trained Lay Health Advisors in under-served areas throughout China and Taiwan.  

Visit YouTube to view the 2013 Susan G. Komen Global Anti-Cancer Walk at Xi'an City Wall and Early Detection of Breast Cancer Through Lay Health Advisor Project, supported by Susan G. Komen in Xi'an China.

View the 2017 HAAP Breast Cancer Prevention Promotion "Seed Fund"

Breast Cancer in China Statistics 

The incidence rate of breast cancer continues to rise in China; the most recent data from the National Cental Cancer Registry of China ranked breast cancer first in all cancer cites (42 per 100,000) and sixth in mortality (6.9 per 100,000) among all cancer in female populations. A comparison of epidemiologic data revealed a significant increase in breast cancer incidence of 470,000 and mortality 130,000 between 2000 and 2005.

Despite the alarming statistics, cancer control and early detection is still in primitive stages in China due to general lack of public awareness and the absence of standard protocols in screening and prevention strategies among health care providers that incorporate into current public health infrastructures in China. More than 120,000 Chinese women benefited from the current study.

Program Milestones 

Using the effective Lay Health Advisor (LHA) model, HAAP successfully accomplished the following milestones from 2010-2013:

  • Implemented and evaluated LHA training programs in Shanghai, Xi'an and Taiwan.
  • Trained 1,253 Lay Health Advisors (134 cancer survivors, 83 volunteers,and 36 family members or friends of cancer survivors) as community change agents for breast cancer awareness and screening promotion.
  • Trained more than 400 local health professionals in clinical breast examination (CBE).
  • Provided breast health education and breast cancer screening to 7,932 Chinese women and 5,282 Taiwanese Women.