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Public Health Messaging and Strategies to Promote "SWIFT" Lung Cancer Detection: a Qualitative Study Among High-Risk Individuals.
Saab, Mohamad M Kilty, Caroline Noonan, Brendan FitzGerald, Serena Collins, Abigail Lyng, Áine Kennedy, Una Hegarty, Josephine
Saab, Mohamad M
Kilty, Caroline
Noonan, Brendan
FitzGerald, Serena
Collins, Abigail
Lyng, Áine
Kennedy, Una
Hegarty, Josephine
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Date
2020-10-31
Date Submitted
Keywords
Awareness
Early detection
Focus group
Health disparity
Health promotion
Lung cancer
Qualitative research
Early detection
Focus group
Health disparity
Health promotion
Lung cancer
Qualitative research
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Abstract
Lung cancer (LC) is the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer mortality globally. A positive association between LC incidence and socioeconomic deprivation exists. High-risk individuals are less likely to be aware of LC and to correctly appraise LC symptoms and seek medical help accordingly. This qualitative study explored strategies to promote early detection of LC among at-risk individuals living in high-incidence areas in Ireland. Five semi-structured focus groups were conducted with 46 individuals. Data were collected face-to-face in community centres and organisations in high-incidence areas in two Irish counties and analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. Participants believed that there was insufficient information regarding LC and recommended promoting LC awareness at a young rather than old age. They favoured public health messages that are Simple, clear, and honest; Worded positively; Incorporating a shock element; Featuring a celebrity, healthcare professional, or survivor; and Targeted (SWIFT). Most participants reported becoming immune to messages on cigarette packaging and recommended using a combination of broadcast and print media within national government-run campaigns to promote LC awareness and early detection. Study findings suggest that promoting LC awareness, help-seeking, early presentation, and diagnosis can be achieved by developing and testing targeted interventions. Promoting LC awareness requires a multi-sectoral policy network, or a whole systems approach. Such approaches ought to consider the multifactorial drivers of LC risk behaviours; involve coordinated, collective actions across various stakeholders; operate across multiple agencies; and take a life course perspective.
Language
en
Citation
ISSN
1543-0154
eISSN
ISBN
DOI
10.1007/s13187-020-01916-w
PMID
33131021