Information processing of religious symbols in breast cancer advertisements among African American women

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 11, 2009)Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.African American women are dying disproportionately from breast cancer compared to other ethnicities as it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among this group (American Cancer Society, 2007). Even though the death rate has decreased, the survival rate of African American women with breast cancer compared to White women continues to decrease (American Cancer Society, 2005). This research study attempted to address this issue by examining information processing of religious symbols in breast cancer advertisements among African American women. Because this group of women has the tendency to be religious (Mattis, 2000) and research has shown that health is highly correlated with spirituality among African American women (Holt, Clark, Kreuter & Rubio 2003), it was hypothesized that a religious symbol, the cross, would have an impact on the way African American women processed health advertisements. Research to date has been increasing as to how religion and spirituality in particular impact health behavior among African American women. Recent studies have shown cultural tailoring to be important when creating promotional public health materials to individuals via direct marketing and the internet (Kreuter, Skinner, Steger- May, Holt, Bucholtz, Clark, & Sanders-Thompson, 2003). However, very little research has investigated the roles of religion and spirituality in advertising health messages via the mass media to African American women. Even though the hypotheses were not fully supported, there was a main effect of the cross among African American women highly and lowly involved with health. In particular, there was a main effect of the exposure to a cross on attitude toward the ad and behavior intention toward the sponsor. This finding could not only indicate the impact of religion on information processing but also the strong correlation that spirituality has among African American women (high and low-involved with health). Spirituality was also shown to have a main effect for the dependent variable of memory of the brand; spirituality, however, was not shown to be a moderator in the interaction of health involvement and religiosity. In sum, the method and theoretical models were used in this study to show the merit in evaluating the effectiveness of religious symbols, such as the cross, in health advertisements targeting African American women. Practical implications of the study include the branding of the church as a socially desirable commodity. The benefits of this type of "branding" may position the church sponsor as not only a producer of healthy products (i.e. prevention messages) but also a marketer of cancer prevention information. Ultimately, theoretical and practical implications of this study can assist researchers and health communicators who wish to investigate the issue of religious effects in health information targeting African American women.Includes bibliographical reference

Calling Doctor Google? Technology Adoption and Health Information Seeking among Low-income African American Older Adults

We conducted focus groups with low-income African American older adults in Kansas City, MO, to examine how this underserved group adopts and uses technology and how technology adoption/use is associated with health information seeking behavior. Low-income African American older adults have been shown to lag behind in terms of their technology access and use. Our findings show that although low-income African American older adults perceive technology to be highly useful, they do not view it as easy to use, thus preventing them from further adopting or using relevant technologies. Consequently, there is skepticism with respect to using technology to search for health information. Our study advances research on underserved groups’ technology use and health information seeking by looking at the intersectionality of race/ethnicity, age, and income

Employing the Church as a Marketer of Cancer Prevention: A Look at a Health Promotion Project Aimed to Reduce Colorectal Cancer Among African Americans in the Midwest

This is not the published version.Health promotion programs designed to address colorectal cancer disparities among African Americans are increasing. Unfortunately, this group still shoulders a disproportionate mortality burden in the United States; these numbers are also reflective of colorectal cancer (CRC) disparities in the Midwest. The purpose of this study was to extrapolate results from in-depth interviews and brief surveys on the effectiveness of the church as a social marketer of CRC-prevention messages. Results show that pastors believe the congregation has limited knowledge about CRC risk and prevention; they also believe the church can improve cancer-prevention communication among members and those affiliated with the church

Promoting Healthy Behavior from the Pulpit: Clergy Share Their Perspectives on Effective Health Communication in the African American Church

African Americans continue to suffer disproportionately from health disparities when compared to other ethnicities (ACS 2010; CDC 2007). Research indicates that the church and the pastor in the African American community could be enlisted to increase effectiveness of health programs (Campbell et al. in Health Edu Behav 34(6):864–880, 2007; DeHaven et al. in Am J Public Health 94(6):1030–1036, 2004). The objective of this study was to investigate African American pastors’ perceptions about health promotion in the church and how these perceptions could serve as a guide for improving health communication targeting African Americans. Semi-structured interviews with African American clergy revealed that pastors feel strongly about the intersection of health, religion and spirituality; they also believe that discussing health screening and other health issues more frequently from the pulpit and their own personal experiences will ultimately impact health behavior among congregants. This study suggests that African American clergy see themselves as health promoters in the church and believe this communication (i.e., pastor-endorsed health information materials) will impact health behavior among underserved and minority populations

Marketing a Healthy Mind, Body, and Soul: An Analysis of How African American Men View the Church as a Social Marketer and Health Promoter of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranks colorectal cancer (CRC) as the third most commonly diagnosed cancer among men in the United States; African American (AA) men are at even greater risk. The present study was from a larger study that investigates the church's role as a social marketer of CRC risk and prevention messages, and whether religiously targeted and tailored health promotion materials will influence screening outcome. We used an integrated theoretical approach to explore participants' perceptions of CRC risk and prevention and how promotion messages should be developed and socially marketed by the church. Six focus groups were conducted with men from predominately AA churches in the Midwest. Themes from focus group discussions showed participants lacked knowledge about CRC, feared cancer diagnosis, and feared the procedure for screening. Roles of masculinity and the mistrust of physicians were also emergent themes. Participants did perceive the church as a trusted marketer of CRC but believed that promotional materials should be cosponsored and codeveloped by reputable health organizations. Employing the church as a social marketer of CRC screening promotion materials may be useful in guiding health promotions and addressing barriers that are distinct among African American men

Reducing Low Birth Weight among African Americans in the Midwest: A Look at How Faith-Based Organizations Are Poised to Inform and Influence Health Communication on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD)

Low birth weight (LBW) rates remain the highest among African Americans despite public health efforts to address these disparities; with some of the highest racial disparities in the Midwest (Kansas). The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) perspective offers an explanation for how LBW contributes to racial health disparities among African Americans and informs a community directed health communication framework for creating sustainable programs to address these disparities. Trusted community organizations such as faith-based organizations are well situated to explain health communication gaps that may occur over the life course. These entities are underutilized in core health promotion programming targeting underserved populations and can prove essential for addressing developmental origins of LBW among African Americans. Extrapolating from focus group data collected from African American church populations as part of a social marketing health promotion project on cancer prevention, we theoretically consider how a similar communication framework and approach may apply to address LBW disparities. Stratified focus groups (n = 9) were used to discover emergent themes about disease prevention, and subsequently applied to explore how faith-based organizations (FBOs) inform strategic health care (media) advocacy and health promotion that potentially apply to address LBW among African Americans. We argue that FBOs are poised to meet health promotion and health communication needs among African American women who face social barriers in health