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releases > May 5, 2003
Zero Breast Cancer Publishes First Research
Study
Group Announces Plans to Create Adolescent Education Program
(San Rafael, Calif., May 5, 2003) - Zero Breast Cancer,
a non-profit grassroots organization, announced today the results
from its first research project, the Adolescent Risk Factors Study
(ARFS), have been published in the scientific journal Breast Cancer
Research. The study can be found online at: http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/5/4/R88.
Completion of the study marks the conclusion of the first community-based
research study in the Bay Area to look at breast cancer.
“This is an important step forward because it shows that
the community can not only be a part of the research process, but
be part of helping find the causes of breast cancer,” said
Janice Barlow, executive director of Zero Breast Cancer. “Publication
of this study is just one more piece of the puzzle as we try to
understand what is causing breast cancer.”
In 1997, members of Zero Breast Cancer sought help from
researchers and scientists to help them better understand the causes
of breast cancer in Marin. Dr. Margaret Wrensch, PhD, a Professor
of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of California,
San Francisco, answered the call and helped the community organization
devise the Adolescent Risk Factors Study. At the time, there was
very little research into how the experiences of adolescents might
affect their chances of getting breast cancer later in life.
The Adolescent Risk Factors Study was designed to understand if
adolescent and pre-adolescent exposures and experiences differ between
women with and without breast cancer in Marin County.
Trained interviewers individually interviewed approximately 300
Marin County women diagnosed between July 1, 1997 and June 30, 1999
with breast cancer (cases), and 300 Marin County women without breast
cancer (controls), matched for age and ethnicity.
Results of the study found striking similarities between the cases
and controls as well as several differences that were significant.
Lifetime number of years lived in Marin was 24.2 years for both
groups and the mean age first lived in Marin was 28.8 for controls
and 29.6 for cases. Other factors that were not significantly different
between cases and controls included: having a first degree relative
with breast cancer (20% of controls and 18 % of cases); history
of non-cancerous breast biopsy; current socioeconomic status; age
of first period; age at first birth or pregnancy (mean of 25.1 for
controls and 25.3 for cases); use of hormone replacement therapy;
height; health insurance status; and frequency of pelvic exams and
pap tests.
Significant differences were noted in other factors. Cases were
more likely than controls to report: a high socioeconomic status
before the age of 21; four or more mammograms in 1990-1994; giving
birth without breast feeding; being premenopausal; never having
used birth control pills; having a lower highest body mass index;
beginning drinking after age 21; drinking on average two or more
drinks per day; and being raised in an organized religion.
The similarities between cases and controls in this study, and
the high incidence of some breast cancer risk factors that were
found in many areas, suggest that both groups are at high risk for
breast cancer. Specific findings, in combination with the results
of other recent prospective studies, suggest that decreased alcohol
consumption and increased breastfeeding after childbirth, modifiable
risk factors in adults, might help to reduce breast cancer risk.
“This research project was initiated due to community concerns.”
Barlow continued. “Early in the process, meetings composed
of community members were held to help focus research direction
and techniques. At every step in the process, Zero Breast Cancer
research members have played an active role.”
The principal investigators on the study were Margaret Wrensch,
Ph.D, and Georgianna Farren, MD, representing Zero Breast Cancer.
The focus on community-based research as a model has established
Zero Breast Cancer as a leading advocate for community concerns
and ideas in research projects.
In continuing its leadership role in Marin, Zero Breast Cancer
also announced the creation of a new education outreach program
aimed at adolescent girls, the “Adolescent Breast Cancer Education
and Prevention Program.”
The new initiative will take the information learned from the
Adolescent Risk Factors Study, and results from other adolescent
breast cancer studies, and create an education program that gives
young girls the information and tools they need to make informed
decisions about their health.
Barlow said the program is currently being developed and interested
members of the community are welcome to participate in the process.
The first step in creating the program is to conduct a community
wide assessment about the current state of health education in Marin
County regarding health risk, adolescent health and breast cancer.
Then the group will host a series of focus groups with young girls
and mothers to learn where breast cancer fits into the agenda of
teenage girls in Marin. Finally, an evaluation of other programs
around the country will be made to help determine tools and information
that may be helpful in Marin.
“The idea for this program came from discussions with women
in the community who want to make sure their daughters have information
about breast cancer and health,” Barlow said. “There
is a real need to not only inform, but to work with young people
to better understand their concerns and ideas.”
Working with health care professionals, educators, young girls
and others from the community, Zero Breast Cancer hopes to
create a pilot program that can be a model for other communities.
Zero Breast Cancer is a grassroots, non-profit organization
dedicated to finding the causes and stopping the epidemic of breast
cancer. The organization accomplishes its mission through community-based
participatory research, education and public policy advocacy with
a focus on creating a healthy environment.
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