Oral Cancer Prevention Campaign Hits the Streets

Oral Cancer Prevention Campaign imageMembers of the “Oral Cancer: It Spreads Faster Than You Think” campaign team, an innovative health education effort launched June 1 in Jacksonville, Fla., know a bus wrap is worth 1,000 words in the fight against oral cancer.

“Oral Cancer: It Spreads Faster Than You Think” aims to raise public awareness of this deadly disease – its signs, causes and prevention – and to encourage regular oral cancer exams to increase early detection. The $1.5-million, National Institutes of Health-funded campaign is sponsored by the University of Florida College of Dentistry and the Duval County Health Department.

Oral cancer is the fourth most common cancer in black men and the seventh most common in white men. It strikes nearly 30,000 Americans each year and proves fatal for more than 7,000 people annually. Yet nearly 90 percent of those whose oral cancer is detected early will survive.

The campaign, which targets Jacksonville-area residents because of Northeast Floridas disproportionate burden of new oral cancer cases and deaths, will include public service announcements on Jacksonville radio stations WSOL-FM and WJBT-FM. The early diagnosis message is also advertised on billboards, buses and informational materials, including posters and brochures, disseminated to communities throughout the Jacksonville area.