Cancer Prevention & Control, Client-Oriented Screening Interventions: One-on-One Education

(2008 Archived Review)

Task Force Finding*

One-on-one education contains messages similar to those conveyed in group education, but delivered in person or by telephone. Sessions can be held in medical, community, worksite, or home settings. Messages can be conveyed by healthcare workers, trained professionals (e.g., health educators), lay health advisors, or volunteers. As with small media, interventions can be untailored to address a general target population or tailored to reach specific individuals based on unique characteristics as derived from individual assessments. As defined for these reviews, one-on-one education may include an accompanying small media or client reminder component.

The Task Force recommends the use of one-on-one education to increase screening for breast and cervical cancers on the basis of strong evidence of effectiveness. There is insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of this intervention in increasing screening for colorectal cancer because only two studies (each with some methodological limitations) were found.

*From the following publication:

Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Recommendations for client- and provider-directed interventions to increase breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening. [PDF - 74KB] Am J Prev Med 2008;35(1S):S21–5.