The African American Women and Mass Media campaign: a CDC breast cancer screening project

Abstract

For decades, black radio has reached African American communities with relevant, culturally appropriate information, and it continues to be an ideal communication channel to use for contemporary health promotion. In an effort to combat excess breast cancer mortality rates and help eliminate cancer disparities among low-income African American women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control designed, implemented, and evaluated the African American Women and Mass Media (AAMM) pilot campaign. The AAMM campaign uses black radio, radio stations with broad African American listenership, as a platform for targeted, culturally competent health promotion and outreach to low-income, African American women. The AAMM campaign uses radio advertisements and print materials disseminated in predominantly African American neighborhoods to promote awareness of breast cancer, early detection, and the CDC's National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP). Evaluation of the AAMM campaign found that the campaign successfully reached its target audience of low-income, African American women and increased women's awareness of breast cancer screening services through the Breast and Cervical Cancer Program in Savannah and Macon, Georgia.

FIG. 1

Total calls to 1-800-4-CANCER, by month and site, African American Women and Mass Media study, June 2008–September 2009.

FIG. 2

Characteristics of callers to 1-800-4-CANCER, African American Women and Mass Media study, June 2008–September 2009.

FIG. 3

Percent of total calls to 1-800-4-CANCER heard on radio, by site and month, African American Women and Mass Media study, July 2008–September 2009.