NCT05174286: CHURCH

Community Health Workers United to Reduce Colorectal Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Among People at Higher Risk

Recruiting now NA Last updated 16 September 2025

What this trial tests

NA trial testing SBIRT in Colorectal Cancer in 880 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

19 March 2023

Primary endpoint
30 June 2026

31 August 2026

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	Columbia University
Phase	NA
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	single
Primary purpose	prevention
Enrollment	880
Start date	19 March 2023
Primary completion	30 June 2026
Estimated completion	31 August 2026
Sites	1 location across United States

Drugs / interventions tested

• SBIRT
• Referral as Usual (RAU)

Conditions studied

• Colorectal Cancer — all drugs for Colorectal Cancer →

Sponsor

Columbia University

Who can join

45 and older, any sex, with Colorectal Cancer. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

The overall goal of this study is to develop a comprehensive, culturally tailored community-based colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention model with a dual emphasis on reducing CRC risk along with its CVD risk factors. The study intervention has two components: Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to address CRC screening and a web-based lifestyle program called "Alive!" to address CVD risk factors linked to CRC. The C.H.U.R.C.H. Trial (Community Health workers (CHW) United to Reduce Colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease among people at Higher risk) has four specific aims: (1) to compare the effect of a CHW-Led SBIRT (Intervention) to Referral As Usual (RAU) (Usual Care) on guideline-concordant CRC screening uptake; (2) to evaluate the effect of a Culturally Adapted CHW-linked Alive! (CACA) program incorporated into the intervention arm on dietary inflammatory score (DIS); (3) to evaluate the effect of CACA on changes in Life Simple-7 (LS7) scores; and (4) to examine the multi-level contextual mechanisms and factors influencing CHW effectiveness, reach, and implementation of CRC screening uptake and CACA activities through a mixed-methods process evaluation. Given the broad reach and influence of churches, results from this study can be used to inform future scale up of this multi-pronged intervention.

Publications & conference data

3 peer-reviewed publications reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. Community Health workers United to Reduce Colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease among people at Higher risk (CHURCH): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
   Williams O, Ting T, Matthews L, Block G, et al · · 2024 · cited 3× · PMID 38671470 · DOI 10.1186/s13063-024-08110-z
2. Current Progress in Clinical Research in Secondary Prevention and Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer.
   Partyka O, Pajewska M, Czerw A, Deptała A, et al · · 2025 · cited 2× · PMID 39941735 · DOI 10.3390/cancers17030367
3. Community Health workers United to Reduce Colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease among people at Higher risk (CHURCH): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.
   Williams O, Ting T, Matthews L, Block G, et al · · 2024 · DOI 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3797889/v1