“Sorry for laughing, but it’s scary”: humor and silence in discussions of Colorectal Cancer with Urban American Indians

BMC Cancer

Research

Jessica D. Hanson¹  Deborah R. Bassett²  Shin-Ping Tu³  Raymond M. Harris⁴  Dedra S. Buchwald⁴  Emily R. Van Dyke⁵ 

[1] Department of Applied Human Sciences, University of Minnesota Duluth, 1216 Ordean Court, 55812, Duluth, MN, USA;Department of Communication, University of West Florida, 11000 University Parkway, 32514, Pensacola, FL, USA;Division of General Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, 23298, Richmond, VG, USA;Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health, Washington State University, 1100 Olive Way, 98101, Seattle, WA, USA;Sea Mar Community Health Centers, 98108, Seattle, WA, USA;

关键词: Alaska Natives;    American Indians;    Cancer screening;    Colorectal cancer;    Ethnography;    Focus groups;    Gender;    Health communication;    Health disparities;    Qualitative research;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12885-023-11245-y

 received in 2023-04-13, accepted in 2023-08-01,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundGiven high rates of cancer mortality in Native communities, we examined how urban American Indian and Alaska Native elders talk about colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC screening.MethodsWe conducted seven focus groups with a total of 46 participants in two urban clinics in the Pacific Northwest to assess participant awareness, perceptions, and concerns about CRC and CRC screening. Using speech codes theory, we identified norms that govern when and how to talk about CRC in this population.ResultsOur analyses revealed that male participants often avoided screening because they perceived it as emasculating, whereas women often avoided screening because of embarrassment and past trauma resulting from sexual abuse. Both men and women used humor to mitigate the threatening nature of discussions about CRC and CRC screening.ConclusionsWe offer our analytic results to assist others in developing culturally appropriate interventions to promote CRC screening among American Indians and Alaska Natives.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023