Optimizing social media messages targeting young adult women about the risks of breast cancer from alcohol consumption

The National Cancer Institute awarded The Ohio State University $647,762 on July 14, 2026, under the Trans-NIH Research Support program (CFDA 93.310) to optimize social media messages targeting young adult women about breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption.

The funded research combines self-report and psychophysiological measures to identify optimal features of co-created social media messages communicating breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption and determine whether persuasive effects differ based on young adult women's drinking behavior. The project conducts an online experiment with a national sample of young adult women testing the effects of risk and efficacy content, with particular focus on how message reception varies among those who exceed versus do not exceed drinking guidelines. Young adult women ages 18–25 face biological vulnerability to increased breast cancer risk from alcohol use despite low awareness of this connection; alcohol accounts for an estimated 16 percent of breast cancer cases in women.

Period of performance runs through May 31, 2031, with place of performance in Columbus, Ohio.

The award passes funding to two sub-recipients. Florida State University (sub-award R01CA311193-GR146145, awarded August 20, 2026) conducts message testing and psychophysiology data collection at the FSU study site, recruiting 200 participants (100 who exceed drinking guidelines, 100 who do not). University of Massachusetts Medical School (sub-award R01CA311193-GR146147, awarded August 11, 2026) participates in multi-site coordination and leads message testing and psychophysiology data collection, with responsibility for analytical work determining how message reception differs based on alcohol consumption levels. Co-investigators at all three institutions coordinate weekly team meetings and biweekly full-team meetings throughout the project.

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is a leading preventable cause of cancer, but IT is vastly under studied relative to other cancer risk factors (e.g., tobacco use). Alcohol accounts for an estimated 16% of breast cancer cases in women, and the risk of breast cancer increases in a dose-response manner relative to the amount of alcohol consumed. Young adult women (ages 18-25) are biologically vulnerable to the increased risk of breast cancer from alcohol use, alcohol consumption is prevalent in this group, and awareness of the breast cancer risk from drinking alcohol is low. Social media messaging is a promising population-based intervention strategy with the potential for wide reach and impact to address alcohol consumption as a preventable risk factor for breast cancer in young adult women. To inform such interventions, research is needed to identify features of messages that will optimize their effects and to understand if behaviorally targeted messaging is needed. We developed an innovative approach that combines self-report and psychophysiological measures to identify optimal social media message features and demonstrated the optimized messages can impact cancer preventive behavior. We also worked with young adult women to CO-create candidate social media messages communicating the breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption. This project will apply self-report and psychophysiological measures to identify optimal features of our CO-created social media messages communicating the breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption and determine if the persuasive effects of these features differ based on young adult women's drinking behavior. We will conduct an online experiment with a national sample of young adult women to test the effects of risk and efficacy content (risk content about alcohol consumption, efficacy content about why and how to reduce drinking, risk and efficacy content combined) and persuasive themes (alcohol industry deception, why young women are susceptible, mechanisms by which alcohol consumption increases breast cancer risk) on self- reported message responses. Then we will test the same message features in a laboratory-based experiment using a simulated social media experience to capture young adult women's responses using psychophysiological measures (eye tracking, heart rate, skin conductance). Finally, we will examine if self-report and psychophysiological responses to message features differ by baseline drinking behavior to determine if behaviorally targeted interventions are needed. Our project aligns with the objectives of PAR-25-221 to develop and test population-based interventions to reduce alcohol related cancer risk. Our project addresses the burgeoning challenge of alcohol consumption as a breast cancer risk factor and responds to calls for research on preventive interventions from national cancer research organizations and public health agencies. We will provide evidence to inform the design of population-based interventions leveraging social media to reduce the breast cancer risk from alcohol consumption, and the findings will position our team to rigorously test the effects of a social media messaging intervention in a future randomized controlled trial.