STEP 2: Conduct target audience research.
What do you know about the target population?
Check existing sources of information for data on your target audience.
Health statistics compiled by other organizations, library databases, and
government health organizations can provide information on your target audience.
You also may have to conduct your own research in areas that have not been
previously covered. Surveys, focus groups, and audience interviews are effective
ways to learn more about the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of a specific
group. (2)
What research can you do about the target population?
Before you begin to develop your own cancer education materials, it is
extremely important to take into account the needs of your community. This
will help focus your materials toward what is actually needed. As mentioned
earlier in Step 1: Define the Target Audience, the more you know about your
population, the better prepared you will be to develop effective materials
to suit them.
Find out what materials and resources are already available. Local health
departments, hospitals, health clinics, university and public libraries,
and state agencies are good places to check for existing materials. Updating
and revising existing materials to satisfy the requirements detailed in
the following production guidelines can save you time and money.
Can you collaborate with other groups?
By communicating with other groups or organizations, you can also find
out what ongoing or upcoming projects might coincide with your goals. When
funds are limited, collaborating with other groups or organizations to produce
materials is another option that saves time and money. Be certain, however,
that all collaborating organizations have a similar audience in mind to
ensure the cultural relevancy of the materials to be produced.
2 Making Health Communications Work: A Planner's Guide. National Cancer Institute,
NIH Publication No. 92-1493, April 1992, pp. 11-12.
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