Early Education is Key: Video and Facilitator’s Guide
Prevent Cancer and the Howard University Cancer Center are proud to release “Breast Health Education for Young Women,” facilitator’s guide and educational video that are designed to promote lifelong good breast-health habits for young women, particularly women of color. These materials are designed for nation-wide use in urban school and community group settings. To make breast health education accessible to the widest audience, the facilitator’s guide can be downloaded at no cost. However, hard copies of the facilitator’s guide can also be ordered for $35 plus the cost of shipping and handling, and copies of the video can be ordered for $5 plus the cost of shipping and handling. To download the facilitator’s guide or to order these materials, click here.
Video
The goals of this 14-minute educational video are to help young women to establish lifelong habits for breast health and to share the message of early detection and prevention with their sisters, mothers, aunts and grandmothers.
Click here to see a short clip of this video.
The first section of the video is approximately eleven minutes and includes:
facts about breast cancer
information on how to recognize changes in the breast
demonstration of how to perform a breast self-exam
vignette on how to be an advocate for one’s own health care
overview of mammography
description of treatment options
breast cancer survivor's stories
The second section is the personal story of a young survivor who recounts her experience when first diagnosed with breast cancer at age 23. This part runs for a little more than 3 minutes. To order the video, for $5 plus the cost of shipping and handling, click here.
Facilitator’s Guide
Health educators, teachers and group leaders can use the facilitator’s guide to provide skills-based breast health education with groups. The guide contains instructions for facilitating interactive activities, including a discussion of the video, a demonstration and practice of breast self-exams using breast models, a critical thinking exercise, role play, and more. Information on how the activities may be used to meet national or international educational content standards is also contained in the guide. Among the resources provided is a glossary; frequently asked questions; and sample tests, letters, and forms that will be helpful in implementing a breast health education program. To download a free copy or to order a hard copy of the guide for $35 plus the cost of shipping and handling, click here.
The video and guide were developed for national distribution and are based on “Project Early Awareness: A Breast Health Education Program for High School Girls.” Established in 2001 at Howard University in partnership with the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the program was created to help reduce breast health disparities in Washington, D.C., which has the highest state-level breast cancer mortality rate in the country. Since its inception, the program has reached over 2,700 female high school students in the District of Columbia.