Abstract A012: Differences of trust in cancer information from various sources among Hispanic adults in the United States: Analysis of the 2014 HINTS
Authors: Camacho-Rivera Marlene , Morency Jason , Fleur-Calixte Rose Saint 
Published: August 2020

Introduction: Across all racial and ethnic groups, recent evidence has demonstrated a widespread adoption of potential eHealth/mHealth tools such as smartphones and social media and networking sites, which can be leveraged to reduce cancer disparities. However, Hispanics are significantly less likely than other racial and ethnic minority groups to seek cancer information; further, those who have sought cancer information experience mistrust and lack confidence in their ability to accurately seek information. Our study aimed to identify social and demographic patterns of cancer information seeking among Hispanic ethnic groups, as well as differences in trust of various sources of cancer information.

Methods: Data from the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 4, Cycles 2 and 4 were used; a total of 1051 Hispanic participants were included in the analytic sample. Primary predictor was Hispanic ethnicity, categorized as Mexican American, Cuban or Puerto Rican, and other. Primary outcomes were trust in various cancer information sources (e.g., doctor, family or friends, media sources, internet, health agencies/organizations, and religious organizations). Ordinal outcome variables were dichotomized due to nonproportional odds into low levels of trust and high levels of trust. We analyzed the data using multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for social demographic characteristics (e.g., age, nativity, socioeconomic status, cancer history, and smoking).

Results: In fully adjusted models, women were 70% more likely to trust cancer information from family or friends, and newspapers or magazines, compared to men. Compared to younger Hispanics, those ages 65 and older were twice more likely to trust cancer information from religious organizations (ages 65-74 OR = 2.19, 95% CI 1.06-4.53; &gt; 75 OR = 2.59, 95% CI 1.08-6.21), as well as family or friends (ages 50-64 OR = 1.90, 95% CI 1.06-3.42; ages 65-74 OR = 2.14, 95% CI 1.07-4.27; &gt; 75 OR = 2.60, 95% CI 1.17-6.04). Interestingly, the oldest Hispanic participants were 3 times more likely to trust cancer information from the Internet. Hispanics without family history of cancer were 2.7 times more likely to trust cancer information from doctors, compared to those with a family history. There were no ethnic subgroup differences in trust of cancer information source.

Conclusions: As Hispanics age, trust in cancer information from nonmedical sources, such as family, internet, and faith-based organizations, increased. As no differences between ethnic subgroups were observed, cancer information through various sources may not need to be further tailored to specific subgroups. As the availability of cancer information has become more widespread from technological advancements, health care and public educational approaches should increasingly include family and friends, as well as religious organizations, to ensure accuracy of cancer information and messaging.

Citation Format: Marlene Camacho-Rivera, Jason Morency, Rose Saint Fleur-Calixte. Differences of trust in cancer information from various sources among Hispanic adults in the United States: Analysis of the 2014 HINTS [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2018 Nov 2-5; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A012.