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How Do African-American Community Members’ Perceptions About Environmental Risks of Breast Cancer Compare with the Current State of the Science?

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Abstract

African-American (AA) women experience higher mortality from breast cancer than any other racial group. Understanding community-held perceptions of environmental contaminants as risk factors for breast cancer can inform the development of tailored prevention and education efforts for improve health outcomes. Six focus groups were conducted with AA participants in two counties in South Carolina, and themes were identified using open and axial coding. Perceived environmental risks for breast cancer most frequently discussed by participants were compared to findings from published systematic reviews. Frequently discussed environmental risk factors by participants were deodorants containing aluminum, plastics, pesticides, and air and water pollution. While perceptions of aluminum and air pollution as risk factors did not align with the state of the science, perceived risk factors of chemicals in plastics and pesticides were found to be in alignment. There is some congruence between perceived environmental risks for breast cancer within the AA community and the current state of the science; however, there is a need to communicate information that reflects current science regarding commonly held misconceptions. Development of evidence-based, clear, and culturally appropriate messaging that reflects the current state of the science is warranted.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to our community partners and focus group participants.

Funding

This research was funded by the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP) through the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (RO3ES027406), with additional support from a Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research Center supported by Cooperative Agreement Numbers U48/DP005000-01S2 and U48 DP006401-01S5 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings and conclusions in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Brooks Yelton, Heather M. Brandt, Shibani Kulkarni, Kaleea R. Lewis & Daniela B. Friedman

  2. College of Social Work, University of South Carolina, 1512 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Brooks Yelton

  3. Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 921 Assembly St, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Jamie R. Lead

  4. Center for Environmental Nanoscience and Risk, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 921 Assembly St, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Jamie R. Lead

  5. Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Swann Arp Adams

  6. College of Nursing, University of South Carolina, 1601 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Swann Arp Adams

  7. Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of South Carolina, 915 Greene Street, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Swann Arp Adams, Heather M. Brandt & Daniela B. Friedman

  8. Chester County Literacy Council, 109 Ella Street, Chester, SC, 29706, USA

    Delores Fedrick

  9. Insights Consulting, Inc., 2728 Wilmot Ave, Columbia, SC, 29205, USA

    John R. Ureda

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  1. Brooks Yelton
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Correspondence to Daniela B. Friedman.

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Yelton, B., Lead, J.R., Adams, S.A. et al. How Do African-American Community Members’ Perceptions About Environmental Risks of Breast Cancer Compare with the Current State of the Science?. J Canc Educ 36, 1193–1200 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-020-01748-8

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