Sm. Sutton et al., HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS TO OLDER AMERICANS AS A SPECIAL POPULATION - THE NATIONAL-CANCER-INSTITUTE CONSUMER-BASED APPROACH, Cancer, 74(7), 1994, pp. 2194-2199
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.