Explaining and improving breast cancer information acquisition among African American women in the Deep South.
OBJECTIVE
A major challenge facing contemporary cancer educators is how to optimize the dissemination of breast cancer prevention and control information to African American women in the Deep South who are believed to be cancer free. The purpose of this research was to provide insight into the breast cancer information-acquisition experiences of African American women in Alabama and Mississippi and to make recommendations on ways to better reach members of this high-risk, underserved population.


METHODS
Focus group methodology was used in a repeated, cross-sectional research design with 64 African American women, 35 years old or older who lived in one of four urban or rural counties in Alabama and Mississippi.


RESULTS
Axial-coded themes emerged around sources of cancer information, patterns of information acquisition, characteristics of preferred sources, and characteristics of least-preferred sources.


CONCLUSIONS
It is important to invest in lay health educators to optimize the dissemination of breast cancer information to African American women who are believed to be cancer free in the Deep South.
Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississipi, USA.
Charkarra
C
Anderson-Lewis
Levi
L
Ross
Jarrett
J
Johnson
Janice L
JL
Hastrup
B Lee
BL
Green
Connie L
CL
Kohler
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000407:Alabama; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008922:Mississippi; D012306:Risk