Identifying Feed and Seed Stores as a Site to Promote Skin Cancer Control: A Social Marketing Approach to Agricultural Health Communicatio
Author: McDonald, M.C.
Date Published: 1998
Four principles of social marketing-product, price, promotion, and place-were applied in efforts to select goals, message elements, and locations to communicate to Georgia farmers about skin cancer prevention and detection. A representative sample of Georgia farmers (N=448) responded to a telephone survey which evaluated their performance of skin cancer control behaviors, the "product" to be promoted in Georgia's Harvesting Healthy Habits program. It was found that farmers lacked important knowledge about skin cancer prevention and detection practices, and had personal and physical barriers likely to inhibit performance of the practices. Despite these barriers to performance, farmers were confident about their ability to detect skin cancer, although they held reservations about being able to practice prevention. These issues should be addressed in the design of messages to promote skin cancer control to Georgia 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 receive skin cancer prevention and detection information, they were more likely to adopt the product of skin cancer control. Further, the site where most Georgia farmers were likely to be available to receive such promotion was feed and seed stores, a location not previously identified for this purpose.
Date Published: 1998
Four principles of social marketing-product, price, promotion, and place-were applied in efforts to select goals, message elements, and locations to communicate to Georgia farmers about skin cancer prevention and detection. A representative sample of Georgia farmers (N=448) responded to a telephone survey which evaluated their performance of skin cancer control behaviors, the "product" to be promoted in Georgia's Harvesting Healthy Habits program. It was found that farmers lacked important knowledge about skin cancer prevention and detection practices, and had personal and physical barriers likely to inhibit performance of the practices. Despite these barriers to performance, farmers were confident about their ability to detect skin cancer, although they held reservations about being able to practice prevention. These issues should be addressed in the design of messages to promote skin cancer control to Georgia 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 receive skin cancer prevention and detection information, they were more likely to adopt the product of skin cancer control. Further, the site where most Georgia farmers were likely to be available to receive such promotion was feed and seed stores, a location not previously identified for this purpose.
