title: The Transformative Power of Authentic Conversations About Cancer.
abstract: Entertainment-education (E-E) assumes that actors performing content should be ethnically and culturally homogeneous with targeted audiences. The present study challenges this basic E-E assumption. Findings are presented from audience members who viewed When Cancer Calls… This theatrical production was constructed from verbatim transcriptions of naturally occurring telephone conversations between White family members as they communicated about and through their cancer journey. Non-White audience members were significantly more likely than White audience members to (a) regard the performance as authentic, (b) find it would influence "people like me," and (c) recommend the production to others. These findings suggest that all people must rely on communication when facing health challenges together. Such interactions that are fundamental to family membership are thus primal for the human social condition, regardless of differences in race and ethnicity. These findings also suggest innovative approaches to E-E health interventions that may contradict traditional market segmentation theories based on cultural differences and the principle of homophily.
authors.affiliation: a School of Journalism & Media Studies , San Diego State University.
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Dozier
authors.affiliation: b School of Communication , San Diego State University.
authors.forename: Wayne A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: c School of Medicine , University of California , San Diego.|d Department of Family and Preventive Medicine , San Diego State University.
authors.forename: Kyle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gutzmer
authors.affiliation: a School of Journalism & Media Studies , San Diego State University.
authors.forename: Aileen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yagade
mesh_terms: D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D058015:Health Communication / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology*; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone