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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Thomas W. Valente, PhD¹, Heather J. Hether, Doctoral student², Grace Huang, MPH³, and Vicki Beck, MS³. (1) Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, 1000 S. Fremont Ave, Bldg A Room 5133, Alhambra, CA 91803, (626) 457-6678, tvalente@usc.edu, (2) Annenberg School for Communication, University of Southern California, 2502 Watt Way, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0281, (3) Hollywood, Health & Society Program, USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center, 8383 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 650, Beverly Hills, CA 90211

Research has shown that nearly half of regular prime time TV viewers report learning and taking action after hearing about a health topic in a storyline. Furthermore, given the audience reach of prime time television programs, and the extensive health-related content on medical dramas, these shows offer a potentially effective and efficient way to reach large audiences with important health messages. With increasing knowledge among health professionals of the genetic risks for certain diseases, family history and genetic counseling are becoming more frequent topics of discussion in the clinical setting. Recently, this trend also has been reflected in medical television programs. In the fall of 2005, two popular medical dramas, ER (NBC) and Grey's Anatomy (ABC) prominently addressed the topic of the BRCA1 breast cancer gene and the risks it poses to women who had tested positive for the gene mutation. Both shows depicted questions and challenges that sympathetic characters faced through the decision-making process. As part of an overall breast cancer awareness initiative, Web links to National Cancer Institute breast cancer information pages were also posted on each show's Web site during and after the airing of these episodes. We will describe briefings, consultations and development of the two episodes between public health experts and television writers. We will discuss cross-sectional and panel data collection techniques from two surveys of television viewers. And finally, we will report on the impact of the storylines on viewers' knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions regarding breast cancer screening, treatment options and information-seeking.

Learning Objectives:

• • Assess the effectiveness of television storylines in disseminating information about genetic risks for cancer.
• • Evaluate the impact of two breast cancer storylines on viewers’ knowledge, attitudes and behavioral intentions towards breast cancer.
• • Describe the advantages and limitations of conducting evaluations on television shows.

Keywords: Breast Cancer, Health Communications

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No