Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Article Title

Formative Development of a Culturally Appropriate Mammography Screening Campaign for Low-Income African-American Women.

Authors

Kimberly D. Leeks, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFollow
Ingrid J. Hall, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFollow
C. Ashani Johnson-Turbes, ICF InternationalFollow
Ngozi Kamalu, ICF InternationalFollow
Yasmine Zavahir, Centers for Disease Control and PreventionFollow

Keywords

Advertising — Women's health services; African American women; Breast — Radiography; Breast – Cancer; Campaign; Focus groups; Health education; Health promotion

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Immune System Diseases | Obstetrics and Gynecology | Oncology | Public Health | Virus Diseases

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative study was to conduct a formative evaluation of messages and materials to inform the development of a promotional, health campaign designed to increase breast cancer screening awareness and utilization among low-income, uninsured African American women through the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) in Savannah and Macon, Georgia (GA). A priority of CDC is to understand why women eligible for screening through the NBCCEDP do not participate in NBCCEDP screening services as well as to identify effective strategies for increasing enrollment among NBCCEDP-eligible women who have never received breast cancer screening. As such, eight focus groups were conducted with a sample of African American women (n=68) in two cities in GA. The participants in the focus groups were segmented by age (40-49 and 50-64) and mammography screening status. A thematic analysis of field notes was conducted to assess themes and patterns in the participants' perception of the promotional, health campaign's concepts, messages, and materials. The findings revealed common themes and identified several key issues to address in the refinement of campaign messages and materials, including the need to hear about breast cancer and the importance of screening from African American breast cancer survivors as well as to incorporate religious faith and family connectedness messages in materials. The study findings have implications for enhancing breast cancer prevention efforts in the African American community.

Recommended Citation

Leeks, Kimberly D.; Hall, Ingrid J.; Johnson-Turbes, C. Ashani; Kamalu, Ngozi; and Zavahir, Yasmine (2012) "Formative Development of a Culturally Appropriate Mammography Screening Campaign for Low-Income African-American Women.," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 5: Iss. 3, Article 4.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol5/iss3/4