A Comprehensive Analysis of Breast Cancer News Coverage in Leading Media Outlets Focusing on Environmental Risks and Prevention

This article by Charles K. Atkin, Sandi W. Smith, Courtnay McFeters, and Vanessa Ferguson was published in The Journal of Health Communication.  The abstract is as follows: Breast cancer has a high profile in the news media, which are a major source of information for cancer patients and the general public. To determine the nature of breast cancer news coverage available to audiences, particularly on the topics of environmental risks and prevention, this content analysis measured a broad array of dimensions in 231 stories appearing in nine leading newspapers, newsmagazines, and television networks in 2003 and 2004. One fourth of all stories reported on various risks such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) use. Very few items specifically addressed risks related to controllable lifestyle practices such as prepubertal obesity or chemical contaminants in the environment. About one third of the stories included prevention content, primarily focusing narrowly on use of pharmaceutical products. Little information described risk reduction via other individual preventive behaviors (e.g., diet, exercise, and smoking), parental protective measures, or collective actions to combat contamination sites. The more traditional categories of prevalence, detection, and treatment were featured in one third, one quarter, and two fifths of the news items, respectively. There were twice as many stories featuring personal narratives as statistical figures, and two thirds of all the news items cited expert medical professionals, researchers, or organizations. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are addressed.

Adolescent females and their mothers: Examining perceptions of the environment and breast cancer

An article titled “Adolescent females and their mothers: Examining perceptions of the environment and breast cancer” has been accepted by the Journal of Health Psychology. It is authored by Julie Volkman and Kami Silk. The manuscript was also presented at the 2006 annual meeting of the Eastern Communication Association in Philadelphia, PA. The abstract of this article is as follows:

The impact of personal and/or close relationship experience on memorable messages about breast cancer and the perceived speech acts of the sender

An article titled “The impact of personal and/or close relationship experience on memorable messages about breast cancer and the perceived speech acts of the sender” is in press at the Journal of Cancer Education. It is authored by Smith, S. W., Atkin, C., Skubisz, C. M., Munday, S., & Stohl, C. The abstract of this article is as follows:

It may seem obvious that communication targets are able to recall some messages much longer after initial exposure to the message than others. These memorable messages are remembered for long periods and have the ability to influence behavior when targets recall them from memory long after initial exposure to the message. It is not immediately obvious, however, why only some messages become memorable. Knowing which messages become memorable can improve the long-term efficacy of future breast cancer outreach. To this end, 359 women completed an online survey about memorable messages they recalled about breast cancer. Most women (60%) recalled a memorable message, described it, identified its source, and noted whether it had resulted in prevention or detection behaviors. Four categories of messages emerged: early detection (37.3%), awareness (30.9%), treatment (25.8%), and prevention (6%). Furthermore, five categories of sources emerged (media (35.5%), friends (22.2%), family (21.6%), medical professionals (15.2%), and others (5.5%)). The media were a major source of all four types of messages although family members, friends, and the medical community were major sources of these message types as well. Furthermore, memorable messages originating from medical professionals were substantially more likely to motivate detection behaviors than prevention behaviors. Overall, this research demonstrates that not only do message type and source both play roles in determining message recall they also both play roles in determining how the memorable message will impact behavior.

2007

Persuading mothers to perform breast cancer prevention practices with their pre-adolescent daughters: A pilot message study

This poster was created by COTC researchers and advocates, including Kami Silk, Charles Atkin, Doshik Yun, Nicholas Bowman, Jo Ann Johnson, Janet Osuch, and Karen Pierce. It is titled, “Persuading mothers to perform breast cancer prevention practices with their pre-adolescent daughters: A pilot message study.” The poster was presented at the Breast Cancer Environment Research Centers annual meeting in Cincinnati, OH.

Breast cancer prevention messages have traditionally targeted the behavior of adult females, recommending regular mammograms, breast self exams, and adopting a healthy lifestyle as key message components. Recent research associating pediatric overweight and exposures to certain estrogen-like chemicals with earlier onset of puberty, as defined by breast development, has extended the need to develop breast cancer prevention messages for pre-adolescent girls (Adzersen et al., 2003). However, as young girls are not equipped with enough resources to reduce breast cancer risk themselves, mothers play an important role in influencing lifestyle factors for their daughters ( Austin, 1995). As a result, early messaging is recommended to mothers of pre-adolescent girls. The study used a 2 (message source: researcher vs. physician) x 2 (involvement: high vs. low) x 3 (message type: lifestyle vs. chemical vs. developmental) between-subjects factorial design. Women (N = 59) were recruited to voluntarily participate in a w eb-based survey. Participants were directed to a website that contained one of 12 possible message conditions and all study questions; they were asked to read the message and complete post-test measures related to message perceptions, attitude, efficacy, behavioral intention to engage in behaviors recommended by the message, and demographics. Preliminary pilot data suggest that attitude toward breast cancer prevention messages was positively related to intentions to seek more information and to talk with friends and family; it was not a good predictor of intention to talk with doctors. Also, having a daughter increases mother' intentions to seek information and to talk with family, friends, and doctors about the message content. For the larger study, researchers should aim to strengthen the source manipulation, clarify measurement of efficacy constructs, remove the graphics behind the message, and maintain a 9th grade literacy level throughout all of the messages.

BCERC Message Testing Study

This powerpoint presentation was delivered at the 2007 interim meeting of the BCERC in Bethesda, MD. The presentation provided a preliminary glimpse of the BCERC Message Testing Study proposed by the COTC. It also provided an overview of results from a website content analysis, Communication Assessments of Top Breast Cancer Websites: Evaluation of Design and Theoretical Criteria, conducted by Pamela Whitten, Sandi Smith, Samantha Munday, & Carolyn LaPlante of Michigan State University.