Essence, Ebony & O: Breast Cancer Coverage in Black Magazines

摘要

Black women 45 and older are less likely than women of other races to be diagnosed with breast cancer, but Black women are more likely to die of the disease and more likely to be diagnosed at younger ages. It is crucial that Black women have access to high-quality information about breast cancer. In this study, we examined the comprehensiveness and accuracy of breast cancer information in magazines popular among Black women (Essence, Ebony, and O, the Oprah Magazine). Independent coders compared magazine content to factual statements about breast cancer selected by breast cancer experts. The 55 articles about breast cancer published between 2002 and 2007 were much more likely to focus on family history than increasing age as a risk factor. Racial disparities were mentioned in about 40% of the articles, but, when mentioned, only about 50% of articles provided fully accurate information. In addition, only 40% of the articles that mentioned the then-accepted recommendation for women 40 and older to have regular mammograms were fully accurate. Breast cancer information provided to Black women in popular magazines may not offer readers the information they need to assess their breast cancer risk accurately; the study suggests the magazine content may not contain the information necessary to optimize health promotion and early detection strategies for breast cancer.View full textDownload full textKEYTERMSaccuracy, Black women, breast cancer, magazinesRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10646175.2012.667722