The Journey: Living Cancer out Loud – a Narrative Health Intervention

This paper advocates for narrative health intervention in Breast Cancer Awareness as an innovative approach to addressing cultural determinants of risk and resilience in African American communities. Using community-based participatory research (CBPR) and a culture-centered approach (CCA) to health communication; a project was conducted with a community organization, the Coalition of Blacks Against Breast Cancer (CBBC), for its annual Town Hall community event on breast cancer awareness. The CBBC offers a Valley-wide support system for cancer patients, survivors, their families and their caregivers. A research study based on narrative data, personal interviews collected from African American breast cancer survivors, their families and their caregivers shows that narrative discourse, or stories, as a mode of health literacy can support culture-based health intervention efforts. More specifically, health literacy programs, which support breast cancer awareness, point to the need to locate innovative, culturally specific ways to encourage early detection and diagnosis. The purpose of the project is to translate survivor narrative data into effective prevention messages and strategies for African American women, which can be disseminated widely among the African American community of Phoenix, Arizona. Participants were recruited and interviewed on topics of personal and emotional challenges, physical and behavioral changes, and social support networks, resonating as part of participants’ experience. Data were transcribed and scripted to present as a narrative performance of the cancer journey. This approach offers new ways of utilizing narrative forms of intervention in underrepresented communities that can promote development of health literacy efforts in breast cancer awareness.  First, the role of narrative in health intervention (Larkey & Hecht, 2010; Sharon, 2006) offers a framework for the efficacy of CBPR and culture-centered approaches (Dutta, 2010) to health literacy. Second, the intervention as an innovation in health promotion for breast cancer awareness is specifically identified for African American communities as a culturally-centered resilient strategy. Next, the process of data collection and survey of performance audience is noted. Finally, a discussion section concludes with translational approaches to community and implications for future research in health literacy.

Dutta, M. (2010). Communicating health: A culture-centered approach to health communication. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Larkey, L.K. and Hecht, M. (2010). A model of effects of narrative as culture-centric health  promotion. Journal of Health Communication. 15:2, 114-135.

Sharon, R. (2006).  Narrative medicine: Honoring the stories of illness. New York: Oxford  University Press.