Teaching breast self-examination through pantomime: a unique approach to community outreach.

Cancer educators should pursue strategies to improve African American women's adherence to breast cancer screening. Successful educational approaches consider the cultural context and belief systems of African Americans. Storytelling provides a forum in which women teach one another through personal testimony. The Witness Project of St. Louis created an innovative approach to storytelling, pantomime, which is visually effective in conveying the story of how to perform breast self-examination (BSE). Pantomime offers a powerful message of the importance of regular BSE.