Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111939

Lillie M. Mcdaniels¹, Douglas Luke, PhD¹, and Charlene Caburnay, MPH². (1) School of Public Health, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63104, 3149774082, mcdanilm@slu.edu, (2) Health Communication Research Laboratory, Saint Louis University, 3545 Lafayette Ave., Saint Louis, MO 63104

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths for African American males. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer for African American women. This study compares the media coverage given to prostate cancer versus breast cancer in two Black newspapers. We identified Black newspapers from two communities with significant proportions of African Americans during the months of September (prostate cancer awareness month) and October, 2004 (breast cancer awareness month). We reviewed 9 issues from each newspaper. In September, there were a total of 4 prostate cancer articles in the two cities, comprising 80% of all cancer stories, but only 16.7% of all health stories. In October, there were 7 total breast cancer articles, making up 70% of all cancer stories, but 25% of all health stories published. The findings suggest that media coverage for prostate and breast cancer is not equivalent to their mortality rates. Possible reasons may stem from the established seriousness of breast cancer: (1) newspapers may receive more press releases on breast cancer than prostate cancer; (2) journalists may not be familiar enough with prostate cancer to write news stories; or (3) prostate cancer has not achieved the universal recognition and advocacy as breast cancer. Since the Black media often serve as an important resource for health information for African Americans, health educators, agencies, and advocates can help draw attention to the burden of prostate cancer and provide newspapers with more information about this disease.

Learning Objectives:

• • Recognize the prostate and breast cancer burdens on the African American population.
• • Identify differences in Black newspaper coverage of prostate and breast cancer stories.
• • Provide possible reasons for the non-equivalence of media coverage of prostate and breast cancer.

Keywords: Cancer, Media

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.