Knowledge and beliefs about lung cancer screening among Black individuals at high risk: a qualitative approach

Background: Despite its efficacy in reducing lung cancer (LC)-specific mortality by 20%, screening with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) in eligible groups remains low (5-16%). Black individuals are more commonly affected by LC than other racial/ethnic groups in the United States (U.S.) but less likely to undergo LC screening (LCS). Our study aimed to explore the knowledge and beliefs of Black individuals at high risk regarding LCS.

Methods: Black individuals (n=17) who met the 2021 United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) LCS eligibility criteria were recruited in upstate New York. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio recorded, and transcribed to explore knowledge and beliefs that could influence the uptake of LCS. A qualitative thematic analysis method was used to identify and analyze themes within the data.

Results: We identified principal themes about LC and LCS. Although most participants reported that smoking was the major risk factor for LC, some participants placed more emphasis on other factors as the major risk factors for LC and de-emphasized the role of smoking. Most participants were not aware that screening for LC existed. Several barriers and facilitators for LCS were identified.

Conclusions: Awareness about LCS among Black individuals is low. Addressing barriers may help increase LCS rates among Black individuals, ultimately reducing their LC mortality. The findings from our study have important implications in designing more effective interventions involving community health workers and healthcare clinicians to increase LCS uptake among Black individuals at high risk.