Cancer is a top killer in the United States, and Black women often face the highest death rate and shortest survival of any racial or ethnic group.
They’re a long-overlooked at-risk population, so in 2024, the American Cancer Society announced an ambitious study. Researchers hope to enroll 100,000 Black women and follow them for 30 years.
The focus of this study is to better understand cancer and other health conditions among Black women. Participation in VOICES involves completing an online health and life history survey at enrollment and updating information twice a year. Results from this study will help inform how to improve the health of Black women for generations to come.
Our goal is to enroll at least 100,000 Black women in the US between 25 and 55 years of age who have never had cancer. Registration is open across 20 states and Washington D.C.
As a valued participant in VOICES of Black Women, you’ll collaborate with researchers by sharing behavioral, environmental, and lived experiences through surveys taken at least twice a year. When you join VOICES, over the years our study can make note of any important health and general lifestyle updates that occur in women’s lives.
Upon joining, you will complete surveys on the secure VOICES website. The initial survey takes about one hour, with shorter followups twice a year. These surveys contribute to our study of uncovering day-to-day experiences affecting cancer risk. We may invite you for additional data collection, offering details on these opportunities. Participation is voluntary – saying no doesn’t exclude you from VOICES of
By agreeing to this research, you’ll be asked about various aspects of your life, from childhood to adulthood. All questions are optional, but every insight you share will fuel our research to understand the health of Black women better.
VOICES is funded by the American Cancer Society and run by the Population Science department. The American Cancer Society has conducted population studies like VOICES with over 2.5 million participants since the 1950s and publishes original research on the causes and prevention of cancer which have been used to guide national and international guidelines and policies. VOICES of Black Women builds on this robust legacy at the American Cancer Society and addresses the limited racial and ethnic diversity in our previous cohorts and in health studies more broadly.
Because lived experiences can change and it can take time for cancer and other diseases to develop, we need to collect information for many years. We will continue to send surveys to participants over time. The more information you provide over the course of the study the better we can understand the health of Black women.
There will be no cost to you for participating in this study. To learn more about this new study, visit voices. cancer.org
