HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS TO OLDER AMERICANS AS A SPECIAL POPULATION - THE NATIONAL-CANCER-INSTITUTE CONSUMER-BASED APPROACH

Background. Focus groups conducted by the National Cancer Institute in 1990 revealed that a multitude of fears, anxieties, and negative perc eptions underlie the attitudes and behaviors of older Americans with r espect to cancer. This central finding suggested that a communications approach aimed at encouraging cancer screening and early detection be havior among older Americans would need to consider the pervasiveness of these fears and not focus on health benefits alone. Methods. To exp lore consumer reactions to a new fear acknowledgment/self-empowerment communications strategy, three alternative positioning ads (or concept s) reflecting the strategy were prepared and evaluated through 29 in-d epth interviews with members of the target audience. Results. Results confirmed the underlying fear of cancer found in earlier focus groups, a step which was critical for assessing the general strategic approac h embodied in the ads. The idea that older people operate from a base of widespread fear and need to be empowered to take charge of their he alth resonates with and makes sense to the intended audience. A single ad concept was developed from the original three that reflects the fe edback of the interviewees. Conclusions. Using the approach of fear ac knowledgment/self-empowerment with older Americans is likely to affect the target audience positively. As a whole, respondents in the study considered the ads that embodied this strategy to be empathetic, helpf ul, and easy to relate to.