Despite the increasing risk of breast cancer with age, older women are less likely to engage in breast cancer screening behaviors than arc younger women. In order to examine articles written on the topic of breast cancer and cancer, a historical survey was conducted of women's magazines popular between 1929 and 1949. This survey was an attempt to identify the messages of that period and compare them with the beliefs and knowledge prevalent among women who are today 75 to 84 years of age. There were striking similarities found between the messages in the. early magazines and in older women's beliefs today. This literature was also compared with the medical literature of the same time to identify the role of the nurse and common themes. This article outlines specific mass-media strategies that nurses can use to design appropriate messages for women of different ages as well as for policy makers and the public at large through popular media such as magazines.