Mother-Daughter Communication About Mammography in an Australian Sample

Journal of Health Communication

Ports

2015

Substantial breast and cervical cancer disparities exist in the United States, particularly among African American women with low social economic status. There is considerable potential for discussions about cancer prevention between mothers and daughters. However, upward communication, from child to parent, remains a relatively novel research area, and it remains unclear how receptive mothers would be to messages from their daughter about cancer, a topic that may be considered culturally inappropriate for daughters to initiate. In this study, we simulated cancer message delivery to daughters and then conducted direct observation of daughters as they recalled and shared the message with their mother or female elder. We found that daughters were able to successfully recall and deliver a cancer appeal to their mother and mothers were generally receptive to this message. Not only did mothers listen to their daughters’ appeals, but also daughters’ knowledge of cancer was considerably improved by the opportunity to educate her female elder. Moreover, daughters’ nonverbal communication suggested a surprisingly relaxed demeanor. The potential of young people to impact the screening behavior of their female elders is very promising in terms of reducing cancer disparities.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Upward Communication About Cancer Screening: Adolescent Daughter to Mother

Journal of Health Communication

Ports

2015

“…Children have increasingly become active partners in health promotion initiatives positively impacting their own health, as well as that of their families and communities [1-3]. Furthermore, a number of studies have indicated that parents are receptive to receiving health information from their children [1-4]. Despite the fact that this is a deviation from the customary parent-to-child information flow [3-6], this receptivity on the part of the parent positions the child-parent relationship as an ideal conduit for sharing health information.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Daughter-Initiated Cancer Screening Appeals to Mothers

Genderson

2015

J Canc Educ

Youth-initiated health interventions may provide a much needed avenue for intergenerational dissemination of health information among families who bear the greatest burden from unequal distribution of morbidity and mortality. The findings presented in this paper are from a pilot study of the feasibility and impact of female youth-initiated messages (mostly daughters) encouraging adult female relatives (mostly mothers) to obtain cancer screening within low income African American families living in a Southern US state. Results are compared between an intervention and control group. Intervention group youth (n=22) were exposed to a 60-minute interactive workshop where they were assisted to prepare a factual and emotional appeal to their adult relative to obtain specific screening. The face-to-face workshops were guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Control group girls (n=18) were only provided with a pamphlet with information about cancer screening and specific steps about how to encourage their relative to obtain screening. Intervention youth (86%) and adults (82%) reported that the message was shared while 71% in the control group reported sharing or receiving the message. Importantly, more women in the intervention group reported that they obtained a screen (e.g., mammogram, Pap smear) directly based on the youth's appeal. These findings can have major implications for youth-initiated health promotion efforts, especially among hard-to-reach populations.

“…More specifically, the use of upward communication (i.e., communication from child to adult) has been identified as a potential channel for the delivery of health information within minority families [20, 21]. However, young people are often overlooked as a resource for health promotion within the family system including the extended family.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mother–Daughter Dyad Recruitment and Cancer Intervention Challenges in an African American Sample

J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Ports

Leighton-Herrmann

2014

Developing an effective youth-based health messaging intervention for African American women, who remain disparately impacted by cancer, presents unique challenges. This paper reports on the challenges with recruiting familial dyads from predominantly low-income, African American neighborhoods, as well as the challenges associated with designing and implementing an upward-directed cancer screening intervention. We developed and pilot tested an educational workshop that provided adolescents with cancer screening information to share with their mother or female relative. Data from follow-up interviews and focus groups, as well as observation records regarding implementation obstacles highlight important lessons learned. The use of familial dyads as well as issues of access posed challenges for recruitment and follow-up. Workshop-related challenges stemmed from the approach, content and length. Finally, personal and environmental factors presented barriers to adolescent message delivery and adult follow-through. By identifying these challenges, we hope to influence and enable the future development of effective adolescent-initiated health messaging interventions.