Taking Stock: Product Use Among Black and Latina Women
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: Non-technical overview of the research topic and relevance to breast cancer: Chemicals found in everyday consumer products are linked to breast cancer. These include mammary gland carcinogens found in spot cleaners, estrogen-like chemicals found in cosmetics, and chemicals that alter mammary gland development in stain repellents. As a result, product use patterns may drive exposure to these important chemicals. Consumer product use may also add to the cumulative chemical exposure burden already experienced by some women. At the same time, breast cancer affects women differently. Black women experience higher mortality rates, more aggressive types of breast cancer, and their incidence rates are converging with historically higher rates observed in White women (DeSantis et al. 2016), and although Latinas have lower incidence rates than Black and White women, breast cancer is the most common cancer death among Latinas (ACS, 2015). Few studies have addressed inequities in chemical exposures and breast cancer, and the influence of consumer product use. 
 
 
 
 Research question(s) or central hypotheses: This proposed community-driven pilot study is guided by the overall hypothesis that consumer product use patterns contribute to exposure and health inequities observed in women of color. To this end, we have several supporting hypotheses that we aim to test. The first is that product use patterns vary by race/ethnicity. Black and Latina women use different products and products at different frequencies than other women. The second is that social norms and community-level factors influence the types of products used. In other words, there are institutional norms affecting product use among different communities. Finally, we hypothesize that products commonly used by Black and Latina women and girls contain a mixture of chemicals that can cumulatively impact breast cancer. 
 
 
 
 General methodology: Our community-driven pilot study documents Black and Latina women’s product use in order to improve exposure and health research related to breast cancer. We will collect 600 surveys from women in California (at least 150 in South Los Angeles), use citizen science to collect data on product use from 70 Black and Latina women living in South Los Angeles, and visit retailers (a total of 50 stores/markets) to examine product availability in the community. We will also explore the institutional norms that drive product use patterns, including environmental justice issues arising from greater cumulative burden exposures to chemicals linked to breast cancer, through focus groups with teens and younger women. By shedding light on the social, cultural and economic factors, we can start to reframe discussions about the role of consumer product chemicals in health in vulnerable communities. For a subset of commonly used products prioritized by the communities, we will employ semi-targeted chemical analysis methods to identify chemicals linked with breast cancer and test products for hormonal activity. 
 
 
 
 Innovative elements: We will collect both quantitative (i.e. what, where, when) and qualitative (i.e. why) data on product use and availability in Black and Latina communities in South Los Angeles. South Los Angeles, an environmental justice community, represents a diverse microcosm of California and provides an ideal setting for this pilot study. Community-based research methods developed and tested in this study can be used across California in future studies. We propose a citizen science approach in which approximately 70 Black and Latina women will take part in a mobile app-based study to collect data on their product use over a 7 day period. Subsequently, we will conduct a series of focus groups with Black and Latina women of different ages to understand the social, cultural and economic factors driving product use and to provide context to data on product use. Gathering both quantitative and qualitative data supports a more comprehensive understanding of product use and may suggest opportunities for prevention that are most relevant to these communities. 
 
 
 
 Advocacy involvement and relevance to the human issues associated with breast cancer: The proposed pilot project is driven by concerns within the Black and Latina communities about the potentially disparate burden of consumer product chemical exposures linked to breast cancer. Jan Robinson Flint, at Black Women for Wellness, and Sandy Navarro, a Latina promotora, have partnered with researchers to help address these concerns because few scientific studies have focused on these populations.