Partnering with Ethnic Media to Address Cervical Cancer Disparities among Latinas in Los Angeles: California's Cervical Cancer-Free Campaign

Background: The CMA Foundation is part of a national Cervical Cancer-Free Campaign, aiming to reduce the prevalence of cervical cancer through increased screening and vaccination. Addressing cervical cancer disparities among Latina women is the focus of California's campaign. Methods: The Campaign integrated ethnic media journalists into the project through small stipend-fellowships aimed at producing stories about cervical cancer in their communities. Key stakeholder roundtable meetings were a basis of introduction and discussion to identify programmatic/policy-related gaps, discuss story ideas, and identify ways to integrate ethnic media into outreach activities. Results: Nine journalists representing seven Latino media outlets participated in roundtable discussions. Press releases about Cervical Health Awareness Month garnered further media coverage. In total, from November 2010 through January 2011, cervical cancer prevention stories published through ethnic media outlets generated nearly one million impressions (estimate of online page views and audience readership). Conclusion: Partnering with ethnic media and key stakeholders in public health and the private sector is a creative way to educate Latinas about cervical cancer through a trusted community source and work towards decreasing the disease disparity affecting Latinas. Our next step is to conduct a qualitative study of Latino media journalists to determine how these “health-messengers” report on health issues affecting Latinos, focusing on cervical cancer. These interviews will generate strategic guidelines on story production and messaging for health organizations partnering with Latino ethnic media. Our ethnic media campaign offers a model for other health education campaigns to follow.