Effectiveness of a tool to increase understanding of breast cancer media articles

Abstract

Objective: Women aged 45 or younger with breast cancer, or those who are at high risk of breast cancer due to a family history of the disease or genetic test results indicating risk, have distinct health risks and needs. Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered (FORCE), a non-profit advocacy organisation, developed an online resource designed to address these needs. Design: In-person surveys were administered to compare baseline and post-test knowledge of two cohorts of 55 volunteer participants. Both groups read a printed media news article related to breast cancer research. The intervention group also read a printed brief review that provided a summary of research findings, and discussion and ratings of research evidence and reporting quality. Setting: Participants were recruited at two FORCE conferences. Data were collected at the conference sites. Method: Pilot and follow-up sample results were pooled and analysed using t-test comparisons. Results: The intervention resource use was associated with a significantly greater increase in knowledge than only reading the media news article. Conclusion: An online tool developed to respond to audience needs, offering ratings of evidence quality and relevance, can help readers to better understand research reporting.