Abstract PO-198: Understanding the associations between smoking-related risk perception, interest in quitting smoking, and interest in lung cancer screening among homeless adult smokers
Authors: Agrawal Pooja , Chen Tzu-An , Taing Matthew , Reuven Sean M. , Businelle Michael S. , Kendzor Darla E. , Reitzel Lorraine R. 
Published: December 2020

Introduction: The current study was meant to disentangle the associations between smoking-related risk perception, interest in quitting smoking, and interest in lung cancer screening (LCS) in a sample of adult smokers experiencing homelessness.

Smoking-related risk perception and interest in quitting smoking have each been linked with interest in LCS among domiciled samples. However, little is known about this association among homeless smokers, a population with comparatively and significantly higher rates of smoking/smoking-related cancers. Risk perception and interest in quitting smoking may each directly relate to LCS interest, or they may interact with one another to predict interest in LCS. Methods: A convenience sample of 470 adult participants was recruited from a large shelter in Dallas, TX. The analytic sample included those who were self-reported and carbon monoxide verified current smokers (N=310; 72.6% men, Mage=43+11.6). Participants self-reported risk perception (“What are the chances of developing at least one smoking related disease if you do not quit smoking?” measured 0-100%, anchored/coded 0-10), interest in quitting smoking (“I would like to stop smoking” measured yes/no), and interest in LCS (“I would be interested in taking a test that can screen for lung cancer” measured with a 5-point Likert, strongly disagree to strongly agree). Ordinal logistic regression models were used to estimate associations of smoking-related risk perception, interest in quitting smoking, and interest in LCS, controlling for wave of data collection, smoking rate, age, sex, race, and education. The interaction of risk perception and interest in quitting smoking on LCS interest was examined via an interaction term after mean-centering variables of interest. Results: The average risk perception was 6.7+3.2 (range 0-10), 74.8% (n=232) agreed or strongly agreed with interest in LCS, and 65.8% (n=204) were interested in quitting smoking. Greater interest in quitting smoking was associated with greater interest in LCS (adjusted OR: 1.968, (95% CI: 1.213, 3.191), p=0.006). Risk perception and interest in quitting smoking did not interact in their association with interest in LCS. Conclusion: Findings confirm a link between interest in quitting smoking and interest in LCS among homeless smokers. Providing education about LCS eligibility, the benefits of quitting smoking to reducing risk of lung cancer prior to LCS screening eligibility, and increasing access to LCS among eligible homeless smokers may increase intention to quit and engender quit attempts.

Citation Format: Pooja Agrawal, Tzu-An Chen, Matthew Taing, Sean M. Reuven, Michael S. Businelle, Darla E. Kendzor, Lorraine R. Reitzel. Understanding the associations between smoking-related risk perception, interest in quitting smoking, and interest in lung cancer screening among homeless adult smokers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-198.