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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Karina Boehm, MPH, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, Health Education Branch, Office of Communications and Health Education, NIH Bldg 45 Room 4As25, Bethesda, MD 20892-6400, 301-594-7554, karina.boehm@nih.gov, Mary Daum, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH Bldg 45 Room 4As19, Bethesda, MD 20892-6400, and Lynne Doner, MA, Health Communications Consultant, 5417 N. 19th St, Arlington, VA 22205.

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. This qualitative study explored the reactions of at-risk African American men in the District to a set of messages meant to convince them to get checked for oral cancer. These messages varied in length, type of appeal (factual, positive affect, or threat), benefit promised, support provided, and whether and how they specified who was at risk. They also varied in the extent to which they conformed to the principles of the Health Belief Model. The message that was most preferred by study participants speaks directly to African American men who smoke or drink, uses a positive, fact-based appeal, gives the audience the option to ask either a dentist or a physician for an oral cancer exam, and adheres to the principles of the Health Belief Model. Messages that did not specify an audience, used a fear-based appeal, and/or did not adhere to the principles of the Health Belief Model were not well-received by focus group participants. Additional insights into participants' views of oral cancer—including the fact that this at-risk population is more familiar with colon, prostate, and lung cancer than oral cancer, and that they tend to associate oral cancer with smokeless tobacco, baseball players, and southern white culture—were also obtained. Both study findings and implications for the development of future oral cancer education materials and programs for African American men will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: