The new social marketing challenge to promote radon testing

Co-Designing Communication: A Design Thinking Approach Applied to Radon Health Communication

Indoor radon is a natural radioactive gas and is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Despite multiple policy and communication interventions to increase radon testing and mitigation, the uptake of these measures remains insufficient. A participatory research design was applied in Belgium and Slovenia to probe the barriers and facilitators homeowners experience regarding radon protective behavior on the one hand and co-designing communication tools on the other hand. The results show that there remains a need for interventions on all levels (i.e., policy, economic interventions, and communication). Moreover, results indicated a need for a communication strategy that follows the different steps between awareness and performing mitigation measures. Further, involving the target group in the early stages of intervention design was beneficial. Future research is needed to test the effectiveness of the proposed communication strategies in a controlled setting.

Home Radon Testing in Rural Appalachia

PURPOSE

This study compared differences in sociodemographic characteristics, personal risk perception of lung cancer, lung cancer worry, and synergistic risk perception among rural Appalachia residents who completed home radon testing with those who did not, after receiving a free long-term test kit at a rural primary care clinic. The study also examined the association between the Teachable Moment Model constructs and home radon testing.

METHODS

The study was an exploratory correlational design with a convenience sample of (N = 58) adult participants recruited from 2 rural primary care clinics in Appalachia Kentucky. Participants completed a brief survey and were given a free long-term home radon test kit. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine characteristics associated with home radon testing.

FINDINGS

Twenty-eight participants (48%) completed home radon testing. There were no differences in personal risk perception of lung cancer, lung cancer worry, or synergistic risk perception between those who completed home radon testing and those who did not. Age was the only significant factor associated with completion of radon testing (B = 0.077, P = .005). For every 5-year increase in age, participants were 47% more likely to test their home for radon.

CONCLUSION

Providing free home radon test kits in the primary care setting shows promise in prompting radon testing in rural Appalachia. As radon-induced lung cancer risk increases with exposure over time, health care providers in rural Appalachia need to encourage patients of all ages to test their home for radon, especially those who smoke or report smoking in the home.

A Mixed Methods Population Health Approach to Explore Radon-Induced Lung Cancer Risk Perception in Canada

BACKGROUND

Radon is a predominant indoor air pollutant and second leading cause of lung cancer in radon-prone areas. Despite the gravity of the health risk, residents in Canada have inadequate perception and taken minimal protective actions. Better perception of a risk motivates people to take preventive measures. Scholarship about radon health risk perception is lacking in Canada. We applied a mixed methods population health approach to explore the determinants shaping perception and actions of a resident population in Canada.

METHODS

We conducted mixed surveys (n = 557) and qualitative bilingual interviews (n = 35) with both homeowners and tenants of Ottawa-Gatineau areas. The study explored residents' risk perception and adaptations factors. Descriptive, correlational and regression analyses described and established associations between quantitative variables. Thematic, inductive analyses identified themes in the qualitative data. A mixed methods analysis triangulated both results to draw a holistic perception of the health risk.

RESULTS

Residents' quantitative perceptions of radon health risk, smoking at home, synergistic risk perception, social influence and care for family were associated significantly with their intention to test for radon levels in their home, actual testing and mitigation. These results were explained further with the qualitative findings. Residents who had dual cognitive and emotional awareness of the risk were motivated enough to take preventive actions. Caring for family, knowing others who contracted lung cancer and financial capability were enablers, whereas lack of awareness and homeownership, cost of mitigation and stigma were obstacles to preventive actions. We also explored the dual subjective and objective aspects of risk perception that are influenced by micro- and macro-level determinants.

CONCLUSIONS

Inducing protective action to reduce risk requires comprehensive population-level interventions considering dual perceptions of the risk that can modify the risk determinants. Future research can explore the dual aspects of risk perception and unequal distribution of the risk factors.