**6. Policy and practice implications for strategic communication**

What policies and best practices are needed to guide effective communication efforts about cancer prevention and control to vulnerable populations? First and foremost, communication interventions to educate vulnerable populations need to be strategic and evidence-based. Cancer communication is too complex a process to be handled without careful planning

elated health information to different audiences. Just as with the use of strategic messages, it is a good idea to pre-test the use of different information sources and different communication channels with targeted audiences.39 Message testing research that examines the impact of different communication sources on targeted audience members can help strategic communicators make good decisions about the best representatives to employ to

Evaluation research should be a basic process that is built in to all cancer prevention and control communication efforts.50 Cancer communication efforts should always begin with careful needs analysis and audience analysis to identify the best goals, targets, and strategies for communication interventions. The messages designed and channels identified for delivering cancer prevention and control messages should be carefully tested with representatives from targeted groups to make sure they communicate effectively to these groups and provide them with the intended information. Message testing can also be used to refine and improve message strategies as a form of formative research. Usability testing is also a useful formative research strategy for testing consumer access to, comfort with, and

A critical juncture in communicating risk and benefit information to vulnerable audiences is evaluating how well different communication strategies work to educate targeted audiences about important health issues.50 It is important to assess how well consumers really understand the risks and benefits that are being communicated and what differences communication programs are making in promoting informed consumer decision-making. A first step in evaluating the outcomes of communication efforts is to establish clear baseline measures of consumer understanding before introducing new health education programs. These baseline measures can be used as a starting point for tracking the influences of communication efforts on consumer attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors concerning cancer prevention and control.45 Feedback mechanisms, such as consumer surveys, focus groups, hotlines, help-desks, and comment cards, can be introduced as integral parts of communication interventions for tracking and evaluating consumer understanding of health messages, as well as their reaction to campaign strategies. The data gathered through these feedback mechanisms can be used to refine health communication programs and track progress in health education. Evaluation research can track the influences of communication efforts on consumer beliefs, behaviors, and even their physiological outcomes. Furthermore, it is important to conduct cost-benefit analyses to determine whether cancer prevention and control communication interventions are cost-effective. (See Figure 1 for a summary of the different forms of evaluation research that should be used to inform strategic cancer

**6. Policy and practice implications for strategic communication** 

What policies and best practices are needed to guide effective communication efforts about cancer prevention and control to vulnerable populations? First and foremost, communication interventions to educate vulnerable populations need to be strategic and evidence-based. Cancer communication is too complex a process to be handled without careful planning

deliver health information to different audiences.

**5. Evaluating health communication interventions** 

ability to effectively use communication channels and tools.

communication interventions).


Fig. 1. The Functions of Evaluation Research for Informing Strategic Cancer Communication Interventions.

and data. It is also critical for health educators to adopt culturally sensitive communication practices to reach and influence vulnerable populations. Community participative communication interventions are a valuable strategy for integrating consumers' perspectives into cancer education efforts and building community commitment to health communication interventions.41,42 It is a good idea to consider introduction of relevant communication technologies, such as tailored information systems, to support health

Strategic Communication for Cancer Prevention

**8. Acknowledgment** 

**9. References** 

216

193-211

and Control: Reaching and Influencing Vulnerable Audiences 385

I acknowledge the support of my current colleagues at George Mason University's Center for Health and Risk Communication and my former colleagues in the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch at the National Cancer Institute for their

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education efforts.19 It is also a good idea to incorporate health communication training for both health care providers (educators) and consumers to enhance the quality of crosscultural communication efforts.20,51

Strategic communication efforts can promote cancer prevention and control for at-risk populations. To achieve these goals efforts must be taken to develop evidence-based communication campaigns to increase awareness about prevention. These campaigns must be designed to persuade members of at-risk groups to adopt prevention recommendations, change negative health habits, and adopt healthy lifestyles. Communication campaigns should be designed not only to initiate these healthy behavior changes, but to also reinforce and sustain behavior changes over time. Campaigns should be designed to increase awareness about the importance of developing healthy lifestyles and engaging in regular recommended cancer screening and early detection activities. Efforts should be taken to implement and promote easily accessible and affordable screening programs. Screening practices should be monitored to refine and improve screening programs and promotion activities.
