Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #105907

Karina Boehm, MPH¹, Mary Daum¹, and Marilyn Bobbin, MS, MBA, RD, LD². (1) Office of Communications and Health Education, National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research, Building 45, Room 4AS-25, 45 Center Drive, MSC 6400, Bethesda, MD 20892-6400, (301) 496-4261, karina.boehm@nih.gov, (2) Shattuck & Associates, Inc., P.O. Box 283, Glenelg, MD 21737

Oral cancer disproportionately affects African American men and Washington, D.C., has some of the highest oral cancer incidence and mortality rates in the U.S. However, the oral cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of at-risk African American men in Washington, D.C., have never been assessed. The findings from three focus groups with African American male smokers ages 45-65 in Washington, D.C., will be discussed, including: 1) participants' perceptions of general health; 2) what they saw as the greatest health concerns facing men their age; 3) their views of cancer; 4) if and what they had heard about oral cancer; 5) what they would do in response to oral cancer symptoms and why (e.g., perceived susceptibility to oral cancer, perceived severity of oral cancer, perceived benefits of and barriers to behavior change); 6) what they thought could be done to get people to take oral cancer more seriously; and 7) what they thought the main message about oral cancer should be. Participants' reactions to the brief education session included at the end of each focus group will also be discussed, as will implications for future oral cancer education efforts for African American men in Washington, D.C.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to

• List the greatest health concerns of African American men
• Describe African American men’s views of cancer
• List risk factors and symptoms of oral cancer understood by African American men
• Identify facilitators and barriers to oral cancer-related behavior change in African American men
• Describe factors that may enhance the effectiveness of oral cancer messages aimed at African American men

Keywords: African American, Cancer

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.