ASPO Abstracts
Culturally tailoring environmental risk breast cancer messages to enhance mother-daughter communication and promote risk-reducing behavior.
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Researchers with the NIEHS-funded Breast Cancer Research Program (BCERP) have disseminated information about lifestyle choices (e.g., BPA or phthalates-free products) to reduce breast cancer risk, including a social media intervention teaming with “mommy bloggers” to disseminate evidence-based knowledge tailored to mothers and daughters. In addition to the intervention, we sought to understand how messages could be tailored to diverse groups asking women to review BCERP materials for feedback and to identify challenges encountered when talking about risk and lifestyle choices with family. We interviewed 51 “mommy bloggers” and readers. Women were ethnically diverse: 39% White; 30% Black; 22% Hispanic; and 3% Asian. Thematic analyses were separated by ethnicity for comparison. Women noted these strategies as critical to tailoring messages: 1) using diverse images, 2) heightening the need to protect family, 3) identifying the expert voice, and 4) making behavior change feasible. Although all groups described the importance of using diverse images, only Hispanic and Black women wanted images to blend culture. They noted that when pictures represented one race it did not convey that breast cancer risk is an issue for all women. Similarly, all women described the need to heighten the call for family members to protect one another, noting the importance of including men in images and messages. Still, Black women reported the importance of this strategy more than other ethnicities, stressing that men too are responsible for daughters’ health. Women also noted several cultural challenges encountered when talking to family (e.g., mothers, grandparents) about lifestyle choices (e.g., eating fresh foods, not buying plastic). These included 1) respecting intergenerational norms (particularly within Hispanic families), 2) addressing skepticism and resistance (especially with older generations), and 3) reducing or preventing fear (notably with children). Findings provide strategies to better culturally tailor risk and health promotion messages directed at mothers and daughters. Future studies could tests strategies in promoting risk-reducing behavior among culturally diverse mothers and daughters at risk for breast cancer.
Keywords: breast cancerenvironmental riskmessage tailoringcultural diversitymother-daughter communication