Breast Cancer Prevention Education

Disseminating Breast Cancer Prevention to African American Women

We will develop and evaluate a community-based approach for disseminating comparative effective reviews (CERs) about breast cancer prevention to African American women. The specific aims of our research, as shown below, will target this population because of persistent disparities in breast cancer morbidity and mortality among this population. Our primary aims are:

1. To evaluate uptake of a community-based strategy for disseminating CERs about breast cancer prevention to African American women based on sociodemographic characteristics, beliefs about medical research, and medical history. We predict that participation in a community forum will be higher among women with greater socioeconomic resources, those who have a family history of breast cancer, and women who have more positive beliefs about research.
2. To evaluate the impact of evidential versus non-evidential content about breast cancer prevention on psychological and behavioral outcomes that include: knowledge of breast cancer risk factors and prevention strategies, communication with individuals in their social and medical network, and distrust of medical research. We predict that women who receive evidential content that is specific for African American women will report greater knowledge about breast cancer risk factors and prevention strategies, will be more likely to discuss breast cancer prevention strategies with individuals in their social and medical network, and will report greater reductions in distrust of medical research compared to those who receive non-evidential content.

Inclusion Criteria:

• African American women
• Ages 35-70
• No personal history of cancer
• Resident of Philadelphia metropolitan area

Exclusion Criteria:

• Non-African American
• Male
• Under 35 or over 70 years of age
• Personal history of cancer
• Not a resident of Philadelphia Metropolitan Area