The Use of Strategic Public Relations Communication Techniques in Campaigns to Raise Awareness of Breast Cancer: A Case Study of Breast Cancer Campaigns in Saudi Arabian Charities

This study investigates the efforts of cancer charities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to raise awareness of breast cancer through communication campaign techniques in order to reduce its incidence, which has been rising in the Saudi population for several years. Applying the Diffusion of Innovations Theory of Rogers (2003) as a theoretical framework, qualitative primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 individuals working in public relations (PR) and communications practice at six cancer charities to understand their experience of designing and planning health communication strategies to bring about health-related behavioural change among Saudi women. The study also involved qualitative content analysis of the Twitter pages of the six charities during Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) in 2018 to determine communicative functions in accordance with the classification scheme of Lovejoy and Saxton (2012). The interview data revealed that not all of the charities employed dedicated PR practitioners in their communication departments, but all carried out some PR functions, with a significant emphasis on the technical rather than managerial roles of PR. The participants were found to use various communication strategies and methods to reach different target audiences. However, considerable difficulty was experienced in the design of specific campaign planning strategies, with the participants demonstrating little use of breast cancer campaign strategy to overcome the lack of knowledge and awareness among Saudi women. The study confirmed that the charities did not use Twitter strategically, employing the platform largely as a one-way channel of information communication. Additionally, the charities rarely used promotional and mobilising messages as an action function and did not follow the commonly accepted relationship-building strategies such as dialogic and two-way communication

Addressing Barriers to Breast Cancer Care in California: The 2016 - 2017 Landscape for Policy Change

In 2018, over 29,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in California and an estimated 4,500 will die of the disease. While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has successfully expanded access to health insurance and breast cancer care, numerous population subgroups remain uninsured, and many others may lack adequate coverage for treatment and management of their breast cancer. Although insurance improves breast cancer outcomes compared to those with no insurance, challenges may remain even for the insured. Among those insured, there appear to be significant barriers to cancer care as health insurance premiums are increasing, networks are narrowing, and as the cost of breast cancer drugs is increasing.This report provides a comprehensive assessment of the significant barriers and challenges to accessing breast cancer care in California through the  completion of three key tasks: (1) a synthesis of the peer reviewed literature, news media, reports and policy briefs, (2) completion of a series of key informant/stakeholder interviews, and (3) an analysis of social media. The authors find five categories of barriers: (1) Health System Barriers, (2) Insurance Barriers, (3) High Costs, (4) Individual and Cultural Characteristics, and (5) Language.Although many barriers are shared across insurance types, where possible, this report provides insight on barriers unique to the insurance status of women, specifically for the uninsured, those covered by Medi-Cal, and those covered by commercial insurance. Findings from this report can be used to guide efforts of policymakers to improve timely access to breast cancer care among all women in California

Analyzing Breastfeeding on Social Media

The study uses the feminist theory to discourse issues surrounding breastfeeding as articulated on Twitter. The research employed a mixed methodology approach in executing its goal. The study will begin by examining and presenting findings on a Twitter hashtag, #breastfeeding, a popular hashtag that mothers and experts use to articulate breastfeeding issues. The extensive examination of breastfeeding beyond its linguistic form was undertaken in this study based on the feminist guidelines considering bodies that protect mothers\u27 welfare were integrated into the study. The study findings from the tweets analyzed, N= 2,818, indicate and confirm that breastfeeding is the mode of child feeding that is considered most basic and primary. In contrast, bottle feeding is gauged to be second and more of a complementary method. The sexualization perception of the breast versus its natural conceptualization was also examined and integrated into analyzing breastfeeding as a discourse. The other extremism of conceptualizing breastfeeding as a provocative act on one end and as a mothering procedure thus natural was also part of the issues examined and reported.The placement and positioning of products that support breastfeeding, the value of breastfeeding as a way of offering protection to either or both the mother and the child, the insurance issues on breastfeeding were also integrated. From the analysis, however, what is apparent is that breasting discussions and networks were driven more by private agencies and health offering organizations more than it is spearheaded by organizations and agencies initiated by the governments for public support

Beautiful Disease: The Story of Angelina Jolie’s Mastectomy in the American Media

In 2013 Angelina Jolie revealed in a New York Times editorial that she underwent a preventive double mastectomy earlier that year. This qualitative study examines the social meaning of that Times piece. Using fantasy theme analysis, I unearth the story the American media told about Jolie, her surgery and her editorial. I find that newspapers and magazines dramatized Jolie’s gender traits and portrayed her as an ultra-feminine hero protected from the physical and social threats of breast cancer

Online reputation management by cancer hospitals: A systematic literature review in the USA and Spain

Cancer hospitals manage social media platforms in a professional way to improve their relationships with internal and external stakeholders and reinforce their corporate brand. To do so, they need their health professionals to be involved: these professionals become brand ambassadors able to influence society. Nevertheless, they face different challenges: legal issues, new patients’ demands, privacy-related matters, or the difficulty of disseminating scientific content. This literature review paper analyzes how cancer hospitals manage their social media platforms to improve their reputation. To do this, we carry out a systematic literature review focused on papers published in the USA and Spain, based on the Salsa framework proposed by Grant and Booth (2009). We then define an online corporate communication model allowing cancer hospitals to improve their reputation through Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (MedPac Model for Building Cancer Hospital Brands). The paper concludes that this model is useful for cancer hospitals because it prioritizes persons (brand ambassadors) rather than companies, focuses on scientific and emotional content rather than business information, and is based on human values.This paper is a result of the “Interactive storytelling and digital visibility in the digital documentary and structured journalism” research project funded by Feder and the Spanish Ministry of Sciences, Innovation, and Universities (RTI2018-095714-B-C21)

Understanding Medical Mistrust in Black Women at Risk of BRCA 1/2 Mutations

The benefits of genetic counseling and testing for hereditary breast and/or ovarian cancer (HBOC) are well documented; however, Black women are less likely to use these services compared to White women. Mistrust of the medical system has been associated with Black women’s use of genetic counseling and testing (GCT). However, relatively little is known about the correlates of medical mistrust in Black women at increased risk of HBOC. In this study, we examined the prevalence and predictors of medical mistrust in 94 Black women at-risk of HBOC. Most women were married (48.7%) and had at least some collegiate education (57.1%). While no predisposing characteristics were significantly related to medical mistrust, bivariate analysis indicated significant relationships between mistrust and fatalism (p=0.04), perceptions of discrimination in the healthcare setting (p=0.01), and self-efficacy in obtaining GCT (p=0.01). Multivariable analysis revealed that women who reported more discriminatory experiences and women with less confidence in obtaining GCT expressed greater medical mistrust. Multilevel approaches are needed to address psychosocial factors associated with feelings of mistrust. Future efforts must not solely focus on educating women on the importance of and need for GCT; addressing structural barriers, such as patient-provider interactions, that contribute to mistrust must become a priority

Comparison of Voluntary versus Mandatory Vaccine Discussions in Online Health Communities: A Text Analytics Approach

Vaccines are vital health interventions. However, they are controversial and some people support them while others reject them. Social media discussion and big data are a rich source to understand people’s insights about different vaccines and the related topics that concern most of them. This study aims to explore the online discussions about mandatory and voluntary vaccines using text analysis techniques. Reddit social platform is popular in online health discussion and thus data from Reddit is analyzed. The results show that different aspects are discussed for different types of vaccines. The discussion of mandatory vaccines is more interactive and is focused on the risks associated with them. Voluntary vaccines’ discussion is focused on their effectiveness and whether to get them or not. The study have important implications for health agencies and researchers as well as for healthcare providers and caregivers