ASPO Abstracts
Addressing rural cancer disparities: Risk perception for head and neck cancer and opportunities for intervention in a rural setting
Category: Cancer Health Disparities, Lifestyles Behavior, Energy Balance & Chemoprevention
Conference Year: 2018
Abstract Body:
Purpose: To address rural disparities in head and neck cancer (HNC), this study assessed risk perception for HNC among rural Illinois residents and explored avenues for intervention as related to access to dental care. Background: Relative to urban areas, rural regions in the US experience disparate HNC mortality and higher prevalence of HNC risk factors, including alcohol and tobacco use. Increased cervical cancer incidence in rural areas indicates increased prevalence of HPV infection, another HNC risk factor. Although HNC screening can be done at routine dental visits, less than 25% of US adults receive this preventive measure. Characterizing rural residents’ perceived susceptibility for HNC and use of the dental system is critical to identifying opportunities to reduce rural disparities in HNC mortality. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited residents of rural Montgomery County, IL at community events (January - August 2017). Eligible participants were aged 20 years and with no prior history of cancer. Participants completed a survey about HNC risk perception, knowledge, and access to dental care. Results: Of the 143 completed surveys, the majority of respondents were female (n=98), married (n=95), and employed (n=79). Median age was 45.9 years. Sixty-six percent of respondents had dental insurance (n=94), and 63% reported a dental visit in the past year (n=91). A substantial portion indicated risk factors for HNC: 62.9% reported a history of oral sex, 47.8% reported multiple lifetime sexual partners, and 42.7% had a history of smoking. However, only 10.5% of respondents expressed concern about risk of developing HNC. Conclusion: Despite being high-risk for HNC, perceived susceptibility of HNC is low in these rural residents. This may cause individuals to ignore HNC symptoms and result in more late stage diagnoses, associated with worse survival. However, because nearly 66% of these rural residents access the dental care system, working with rural dental providers may provide avenues for intervention that can address risk and perceived susceptibility, as well as increase prevalence of HNC screening in this high-risk population.
Keywords: rural disparities; head and neck cancer