Persuading Mothers to Perform Breast Cancer Prevention Practices with their Pre-adolescent Daughters: A Pilot Message Study Silk KS1, Atkin C1, Yun D1, Bowman ND1, Johnson, JP2, Osuch J3, Pierce, KG4 1Department of Communication, Michigan State

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Persuading Mothers to Perform Breast Cancer
Prevention Practices with their Pre-adolescent
Daughters A Pilot Message Study Silk KS1, Atkin
C1, Yun D1, Bowman ND1, Johnson, JP2, Osuch J3,
Pierce, KG4 1Department of Communication,
Michigan State University 2Zero Breast Cancer
3Department of Surgery, Michigan State
University 4BVHP Health and Environmental
Assessment Task Force
BACKGROUND Breast cancer prevention messages
have traditionally targeted the behavior of adult
females, recommending regular mammograms, breast
self exams, and adopting a healthy lifestyle as
key message components. Recent research
associating pediatric overweight and exposures to
certain estrogen-like chemicals with earlier
onset of puberty, as defined by breast
development, has extended the need to develop
breast cancer prevention messages for
pre-adolescent girls (Adzersen et al., 2003).
However, as young girls are not equipped with
enough resources to reduce breast cancer risk
themselves, mothers play an important role in
influencing lifestyle factors for their daughters
(Austin, 1995). As a result, early messaging is
recommended to mothers of pre-adolescent girls.
The need for early messaging echoes the sentiment
of the precautionary principle, which holds that
it is always wise to take precautionary actions
to prevent harmful consequences in advance, even
in the absence of explicit evidence for such
consequences (Wingspread Statement on the
Precautionary Principle, 1998). Messages are not
always comprehensive of necessary health
information, requiring individuals to take an
active role in seeking and disseminating health
information. Thus, outcome variables of the
current study are warranted.
METHOD SAMPLE Women (N 59) were recruited
to voluntarily participate in a web-based survey.
Ages of the women ranged from 22 to 71, with a
mean of 38.22, SD 12.64. The sample consisted
of 89.8 Caucasians, 8.5 Hispanics, and 1.7
Asian Americans, with a mean annual income of
55,000 to 75,000. Twenty-seven participants
reported a family history of breast cancer.
PROCEDURE The study used a 2 (message source
researcher vs. physician) x 2 (involvement high
vs. low) x 3 (message type lifestyle vs.
chemical vs. developmental) between-subjects
factorial design. Participants were directed to a
website that contained one of 12 possible message
conditions and all study questions they were
asked to read the message and complete post-test
measures related to message perceptions,
attitude, efficacy, behavioral intention to
engage in behaviors recommended by the message,
and demographics.
H1 Controlling for age, income, and education,
family history of breast cancer and having a
daughter are positively related womens
intentions to seek more information regarding,
talk to friends and family, and/or talk to a
doctor about the message content.
H2 The perceived authoritativeness of a breast
cancer prevention message is positively related
to womens behavioral intentions to seek more
information regarding, talk to friends and
family, and/or talk to a doctor about the message
content.
H3 Womens attitudes about a breast cancer
prevention message are positively related to
their behavioral intentions to seek more
information regarding, talk to friends and
family, and/or talk to a doctor about the message
content.
Acknowledgements This poster was created by a
subset of advocates and researchers from the
Message Testing Committee of the Community
Outreach and Translation Core (COTC) of the
BCERC. The study is part of a series of
investigations funded by the National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences and the National
Cancer Institute, U01 ES012801. The study
authors would like to acknowledge and thank the
BCERC Message Testing Committee for their
valuable contributions to the current study
Kathleen Ball, Breast Cancer Alliance of Greater
Cincinnati Janice Barlow, Zero Breast Cancer
Kathryn Brown, University of Cincinnati Diana
Chingos, University of Southern California Ann
Fonfa, The Annie Appleseed Project Shannon
Lynch, National Cancer Institute Karen Miller,
Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition Sarah
Williams, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

• CONCLUSION
• Preliminary pilot data suggest that
• Attitude toward breast cancer prevention messages
  was positively related to intentions to seek more
  information and to talk with friends and family
  it was not a good predictor of intention to talk
  with doctors.
• Having a daughter increases mother intentions to
  seek information and to talk with family,
  friends, and doctors about the message content.
• Researchers should continue to create messages
  that invoke prevention on behalf of daughters
  well-being because they have the potential to
  impact future behavior.
• For the final study, based on results not
  reported here, researchers should aim to
  strengthen the source manipulation, clarify
  measurement of efficacy constructs, remove the
  graphics behind the message, and maintain a 9th
  grade literacy level throughout all of the
  messages.