title: Community activism relating to a cluster of breast cancer.
abstract: In 1985, residents of a suburban community in South Florida became concerned when several young women were diagnosed with breast cancer. First as individuals, then through a community-based effort, they attempted to gain attention and action on what they believed to be a cluster of breast cancer. Through their efforts to find out whether some agent or toxic exposure existed in the community that might have caused breast cancer, the women formed a community-based organization. This paper describes the activism of the women to resolve the issue through an epidemiologic study of the breast cancer occurrence in their community. Furthermore, it substantiates the need and role of rational community response in resolving community threats and concerns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Florida International University, North Miami 33181.
authors.forename: H V
authors.initials: HV
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Trapido
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: McCoy
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Strickman-Stein
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003256:Community Participation; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D012106:Research / Q000191:economics
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants