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Theater as a tool to educate African Americans about breast cancer

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Abstract

Background. The current study examines the effectiveness of theater in educating African American women about breast cancer. Methods. Four hundred and forty-eight participants viewed a play entitled Stealing Clouds. Employing a retrospective/pre-post test design and paired sample t tests, researchers assessed the effectiveness of theater in increasing participants' knowledge about breast cancer and likelihood of participating in efforts to address and reduce breast cancer disparities. Results. Results indicated that the play succeeded in increasing knowledge and awareness about breast cancer and intentions to improve health related behaviors. Conclusions. Findings suggest that theater may be an effective tool in educating African Americans about breast cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Outreach and Cancer Research Program, Julius L. Chambers Biomedical Biotechnology Research Institute, Durham, NC

    Jonathan N. Livingston PhD, Ricardo Richardson PhD, Delores Grant PhD & Ken Harewood PhD

  2. Institute of Minority Issues, School of Education, Durham, NC

    Dorothy M. Singleton PhD

  3. Department of Psychology, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC

    Jonathan N. Livingston PhD, Nina P. Smith MA & Catherine Mills MA

  4. Department of Theater, North Carolina Central University, Durham, NC

    Karen Dacons-Brock MS & Howard Craft BA

Authors
  1. Jonathan N. Livingston PhD
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  2. Nina P. Smith MA
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  3. Catherine Mills MA
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  4. Dorothy M. Singleton PhD
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  5. Karen Dacons-Brock MS
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  6. Ricardo Richardson PhD
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  7. Delores Grant PhD
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  8. Howard Craft BA
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  9. Ken Harewood PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jonathan N. Livingston PhD.

Additional information

Supported by NIH Export Grant no. P20MD00175.

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Livingston, J.N., Smith, N.P., Mills, C. et al. Theater as a tool to educate African Americans about breast cancer. J Canc Educ 24, 297–300 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1080/08858190902997274

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08858190902997274

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