Funding: California Breast Cancer Research Program (CBCRP)
Recent work in the UK and Australia has evaluated efforts to effectively communicate the risk for breast cancer from alcohol use to women in the general population, and showed positive responses to health education campaigns promoting awareness and low-risk drinking. However, to the best of our knowledge, there have not been any campaigns to increase awareness among women in the US that alcohol is a risk factor for breast cancer.
This project addresses the limited awareness among young women that alcohol use increases the risk of developing breast cancer. The materials, messaging, and strategies are evidence-based and grounded in health communication theory and practice. The messaging also addresses the need to understand one’s own drinking habits and place them in the context of breast cancer risk so that the messaging can initiate changes in drinking behavior that reduce breast cancer risk.
There are three steps involved in this study: 1) A rapid review of the literature on breast cancer risk from alcohol and related health campaigns using principles of systematic reviews, which will be used to develop initial drafts of messaging and materials for use in a variety of modalities; 2) Conducting focus groups with young women to assess their thoughts, opinions, and attitudes towards communication of the breast cancer risk in consuming alcohol in general and the draft messaging and materials in particular; and 3) Revision and refinements of the messaging and materials based on a synthesis of focus groups findings.
This project is co-directed by Dr. Peggy Reynolds, UCSF.
