Identifying Feed and Seed Stores as a Site to Promote Skin Cancer Control: A Social Marketing Approach to Agricultural Health Communication

Abstract

Four principles of social marketingproduct, price, promotion, and placewereapplied in efforts to select goals, message elements, and locations to communicate toGeorgia farmers about skin cancer prevention and detection. A representative sample ofGeorgia farmers (N = 448) responded to a telephone survey which evaluated theirperformance of skin cancer control behaviors, the product to be promoted inGeorgias Harvesting Healthy Habits program. It was found that farmers lackedimportant knowledge about skin cancer prevention and detection practices, and hadpersonal and physical barriers likely to inhibit performance of the practices. Despitethese barriers to performance, farmers were confident about their ability to detect skincancer, although they held reservations about being able to practice prevention. Theseissues should be addressed in the design of messages to promote skin cancer control toGeorgia farmers. Respondents also reinforced previous formative evaluation research,demonstrating that farmers seldom received information to encourage, or promote,skin cancer control, even from health care providers.When Georgia farmers did receiveskin cancer prevention and detection information, they were more likely to adopt theproduct of skin cancer control. Further, the site where most Georgia farmers were likelyto be available to receive such promotion was feed and seed stores, a location notpreviously identified for this purpose.