Traditional to Contemporary: Linking Storytelling and Technology as an Indigenous Approach to Community-based Cancer Education in Alaska Native Communities

INTRODUCTION

Alaska’s village-based Community Health Workers (CHWs) requested cancer information for themselves and their communities. To support CHWs in changing the story of cancer in Alaska Native communities, four 5-day cancer education courses incorporated digital storytelling, which combines the tradition of oral storytelling with computer-based technology. The resulting stories are an engaging, emotional approach that has inspired positive behavioral change among community members.

APPROACH

This project explored how viewing CHWs’ digital stories impacted Alaskan community members’ cancer perceptions and health behaviors. Each of the thirty cancer education/digital storytelling course participants created a 2-3 minute digital story, then tracked their digital-story showings for one month. To understand viewers’ experiences, three focus groups and fifteen in-depth interviews were completed.

RESULTS

Within one month after course completion, over 959 individuals had viewed CHWs’ digital stories in a variety of settings.  Community viewers shared that digital-stories enhanced memory retention, made it easier to talk about cancer, and got them thinking about their health behaviors. “This type of testimony is so powerful it activates all of your senses for learning.” “The stories just catch your heart and you want to take care of yourself.”  Viewers shared that watching the digital stories made it easier for them to talk about cancer.  They also reported that watching the stories inspired cancer prevention behavioral changes for themselves, their families, and their communities; including improving diet for themselves and their families, quitting/reducing smoking, getting recommended screening exams, improving self-care, and encouraging family/community members to get screenings and quit smoking.