Prostate cancer (PrCA) is the most diagnosed cancer among men in the United States, especially among African American (AA) men. The purpose of this formative study was to explore the implications of applying Nutbeam's multidimensional health literacy framework to AA men's understanding of PrCA information. Participants were 25 AA men aged 45 and older in South Carolina. Their functional health literacy was assessed using two modified Cloze tests and the Shortened Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults (S-TOFHLA). Men also participated in interviews or focus groups during which they were asked questions about PrCA risk, prevention, and screening. Transcripts were reviewed for recurrent themes and analyzed qualitatively using NVivo7. Mean S-TOFHLA was 28.28 (+/-1.98), implying "adequate" comprehension. Mean Cloze was .71 (+/-.05) for a Grade 8 document and .66 (+/-.04) for a Grade 13 document, also showing "adequate" comprehension. Cloze scores for the Grade 8 resource were lower for participants with less education (P = .047). Despite having satisfactory literacy test scores, results from interviews and focus groups revealed participants' limited understanding and misconceptions about PrCA risk. Many wanted information about screening and family history delivered word-of-mouth by AA women and church pastors as few of them had ever received or actively sought out PrCA resources. Using Nutbeam's framework, gaps in health literacy which were not adequately captured by the validated tools emerged during the interviews and focus groups. Study findings provide important implications for PrCA communication with AA men to correct misperceptions about cancer risk and motivate preventive behaviors.

Direct and timely messages about PrCA should be developed for AA men.

Journalists have a unique opportunity to educate the community about public health and health care. In order for health communication messages to be effective, characteristics of the intended audience must be considered. Limited attention has been given to health journalists' perceptions of their target communities and little is known about how journalists' perceptions may impact the delivery of health information in the news. Fifteen in-depth telephone interviews were conducted with health journalists from varying geographic regions and media market sizes. Interview questions examined health journalists' perceptions of their target communities, the content and delivery of their health-related stories, and the current state of health journalism. Interviews were audio-recorded for transcription and thematic analysis. Health journalists perceived their audiences to be primarily mothers and adults with limited education. Participants reported they often used personal stories and strong headlines to engage their communities. They also stated that their news stories were quite technical and may not have been written at an appropriate reading level for their audience. When asked about the current state of health journalism, participants reported that there were areas for improvement. Journalists stated that increased collaborations with public health practitioners would improve their own understanding of health and medical information and allow them to develop health news content that was more appropriate for their target communities.

Objective: To systematically review literature focused on the health information seeking practices of sexual minority youth (SMY), those youth who identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. The aims of this systematic literature review were to determine the health information seeking practices of SMY by: (1) identifying their commonly cited sources of health information; (2) examining barriers associated with accessing health information; and (3) identifying study methodologies used in research with SMY. Method: A systematic review of the health information seeking practices of SMY was conducted. Empirical studies published between 1990 and 2010 on the health information seeking and health communication practices of SMY were found using medical/health and sociology databases. Results: A total of 398 citations were retrieved from four databases using specific search terms. Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria of: written in English; peer reviewed; original empirical study; and referenced search terms in title, abstract or keywords. Conclusion: Findings show inaccurate and limited health information targeted specifically toward SMY. Without culturally specific and accurate health information, it will be difficult for health educators and healthcare professionals to address the health concerns faced by this population.

Positive perceptions of parent-child communication can influence behavioral outcomes such as sexual behavior and substance use among young people. Parent-child communication has been effective in modifying adverse health outcomes among heterosexual youth; however, limited research has examined the perceptions of parent-child communication among sexual minority youth, specifically African American young men who have sex with men (AAYMSM). Understanding AAYMSM's and parents' health communication perceptions and practices is critical for improving delivery of health information for this population and communication about sensitive health issues. Using mixed-methods research, the authors conducted focus groups and interviews and administered a cross-sectional survey to 42 AAYMSM and 10 parents of AAYMSM. Descriptive statistics were used to examine survey responses. Thematic analysis revealed that sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS were the most reported topics discussed among both parent and youth participants. Barriers to parent-child communication included fear, embarrassment, lack of time, and the limited availability of AAYMSM-specific health information. Recommended strategies for improving parent-child communication are discussed. Findings will assist in the development of targeted interventions to improve parent-child communication about health among AAYMSM and parents. KEYWORDSAfrican American young men who have sex with men, mixed-methods research, parent-child communication, parent-child connectedness, sexual minority youth