June 2018 (ScienceDirect)
With there being disparities for screening behavior for other forms of cancer screening, and with lung cancer screening being relatively new, it is imperative to understand the underlying factors that determine who is and is not taking advantage of lung cancer screening.
This study, lead by Lisa Carter-Harris from the Indiana University School of Nursing and Simon Cancer Center, aimed to uncover the associations between various sociodemographic factors and knowledge of lung cancer screening to see if any groups were not fully informed of this procedure.
This study collected data from 438 individuals that were eligible for screening in early 2017 in the state of Indiana. Sociodemographic variables that were measured in this study included race, area of residence, income, health insurance information, and family history of lung cancer.
Two variables that were found to have significant differences in lung cancer screening knowledge were race and area of residence, with the other key variables of income, health insurance information, and family history of lung cancer not having significant differences in knowledge of lung cancer screening.
Those that were black and/or lived in urban areas had significantly less knowledge of lung cancer screening than those that were white and/or lived in suburban and rural areas.
Although more research on this issue should be done outside of Indiana, Lisa Carter-Harris and her research team hope that this research indicates to clinicians that they must create sufficient patient outreach programs and engagement materials that provide patients of all races and areas of residence with adequate information regarding lung cancer screening.