Did you know that parents’ exposure to certain chemicals before conception and during fetal development can impact the risk of diseases throughout their own, their children and even their grandchildren’s lives?
Studies show that our risk for many chronic disease as adults, like breast cancer and heart disease, is influenced by things that happen in childhood or even before birth. As researchers studied why some girls begin puberty earlier than others, we have been working to help girls start healthly habits and avoid toxic chemicals. Through the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP), we partnered to produce health messages for adolescent girls and their parents/caregivers.
We worked with girls who were in the CYGNET Study, creating a Youth Advisory Board (YAB) to give them a voice in the research. We offer our experience to help other groups who want to empower youth in their projects. We can provide a summary with the board's purpose, how members were chosen, what work was completed, and recommendations for improvements in the future. We can also provide meeting agendas, powerpoints, and evaluations as well as examples of the deliverables and materials produced by the YAB for other study participants and the lay public.
Here is a sample YAB Meeting agenda, powerpoint, worksheet and evaluation.
Clinicians, researchers and community advocates partnered in the Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program (BCERP) to develop messages about pubertal development and reducing our daughters' risks for breast cancer as a community.
Looking for Outreach materials? The BCERP website offers factsheets on chemicals, a Safe Plastics Guide, a series of Talking Points sheets and this brochure.
Read more: For Organizations & Health Professionals Serving Girls
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