We will recruit fifteen New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) clinic patients who report current tobacco use.

Second, we will recruit thirty dental clinic smokers (10 per day for 3 days) from the NYUCD waiting room.

Third, we will survey 200 student participants from Adelphi University.

Queens Hospital Center with 800 patients.

45-minute individual interviews after the conclusion of their dental appointment

Interviews

A focus group of the preliminary cancer-related risk perception item pool.

focus group

Quantitative item analysis of the final item pool.

Survey

Jennifer L Hay, PhD

The purpose of this study is to develop an accurate way of measuring people's thoughts about cancer risk. The researchers at the Queens Hospital Center, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Adelphi University are working together to design a new measure. Findings from this study will help us find new ways to help people avoid cancer.

The goal of the study is to develop and provide initial evidence for the reliability and validity of a measure of cancer-related risk perception. As such, the primary outcomes of the study will be initial construct validity (convergent validity and discriminant validity) of the proposed scale as evidenced by correlations of this test with other tests that vary in the degree of association to the proposed construct of cancer-related risk perception. It is anticipated that the cancer-related risk perception scale will correlate most highly (.50-.60) with measures of tobacco and environmental risk exposures, readiness to quit smoking, and family cancer history.

Measurement of Cancer-Related Risk Perception in Smokers

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Adelphi University

Queen's Hospital Center

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Neoplasms

Respiratory Tract (Lung and Bronchial) Diseases

All Conditions

Lung Neoplasms

Respiratory Tract Neoplasms

Thoracic Neoplasms

Lung Diseases

Respiratory Tract Diseases

Participants viewed radon and smoking risk information taken from the EPA's pamphlet on the dangers of radon gas exposure.

Participants viewed radon and smoking risk information taken from Idaho's Department of Health and Human Welfare's pamphlet on the dangers of radon gas exposure.

Participants viewed only radon risk information taken from the EPA's pamphlet on the dangers of radon gas exposure.

Participants viewed only radon risk information taken from Idaho's Department of Health and Human Welfare's pamphlet on the dangers of radon gas exposure.

Participants viewed a radon-only message that focused only on the effect of radon on lung-cancer risk.

Participants viewed a radon-and-smoking-isolated message that covered the individual effects of radon and of smoking on lung cancer, but without mentioning their synergistic effect.

Participants viewed a radon-and-smoking-synergistic message that covered the individual effects of radon and of smoking but that also included information about their synergistic effect.

Participants viewed health information detailing the risks of developing lung cancer from exposure to radon gas, smoking, and their synergistic effects. This intervention represents the type of information most commonly presented in radon risk communications.

Radon & Smoking Synergistic

Participants viewed health information detailing the risks of developing lung cancer from radon exposure. No information about the risks for developing lung cancer associated with smoking or its synergistic effect with radon exposure are included.

Radon Only

Participants viewed health information detailing the risks of developing lung cancer from radon exposure and smoking. No information describing the synergistic effects of smoking and radon exposure on lung cancer risk are included.

Radon and Smoking Isolated

Health information modeled after the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) pamphlet on radon risk.

Health information modeled after the Idaho Department of Health and Human Welfare's pamphlet on radon risk.

Idaho

Despite a push for tailored messages, health communications are often aimed at, and viewed by, people with varying levels of risk. This project examined-in the context of radon risk messages-whether information relevant to high-risk individuals can have an unintended influence on lower-risk individuals. Specifically, the investigators assessed whether information about lung-cancer risk from smoking reduced concerns about lung-cancer risk from radon among nonsmokers. The investigators hypothesized that non-smokers who read a message that included smoking-relevant information would express less concern about the effects of radon exposure and less interest in testing their home compared to those who read a version in which smoking-relevant information was excluded. Two studies were conducted. Although the investigators did not exclude smokers, the focus was on participants self-identifying as nonsmokers (including never smokers and former smokers).

Despite a push for tailored messages, health communications are often aimed at, and viewed by, people with varying levels of risk. This project examined-in the context of radon risk messages-whether information relevant to high-risk individuals can have an unintended influence on lower-risk individuals. Specifically, the investigators assessed whether information about lung-cancer risk from smoking reduced concerns about lung-cancer risk from radon among nonsmokers. The investigators hypothesized that non-smokers who read a message that included smoking-relevant information would express less concern about the effects of radon exposure and less interest in testing their home compared to those who read a version in which smoking-relevant information was excluded. Two studies were conducted. Although the investigators did not exclude smokers, the focus was on participants self-identifying as nonsmokers (including never smokers and former smokers). Participants in both studies were recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Participants viewed radon messages that varied in the information they communicated about smoking's effect on lung cancer. In Study 1, smoking information was included or excluded from messages assembled from existing radon pamphlets. In Study 2, versions of a new radon message either excluded smoking information, described smoking as a major cause of lung cancer, or also described smoking's synergistic effect with radon on lung cancer risk. After viewing a radon health message, participants completed a variety of measures. Primary measures assessed respondents' anticipated sense of concern and related reactions if they learned that they/their home had been exposed to elevated levels of radon. Other key measures included questions about participants' interest and intention to test their home for radon.

Study 1: Participants randomly assigned to one of two conditions. Study 2: Participants randomly assigned to one of three conditions.

Impact of Smoking Information on Concerns About Radon

De-identified data and guide will be made available to other investigators upon request.

Composite formed from 4 conditional questions assessing concern, perceived impact on risk and comparative risk, and threat--if exposed to radon

Composite formed from 2 questions assessing importance and intention to test home for radon

Single question assessing worry elicited by the health communication material

Three items assessing perceived likelihood of developing lung cancer

Participants given option to leave email address in case they won one of the 20 radon kits being raffled (Study 2).

Participants given option to be presented with more information at the end of the session about testing for radon (Study 2).

Rated how concerned they would be about loved ones if they learned their home had high radon (Study 2)

Study title	NCT ID	Conditions	Interventions	Eligibility	Organization	Link
Measurement of Cancer-Related Risk Perception in Smokers	NCT00588211	Cancer Related-... Risk Perception Survey Focus Group	Interviews focus group Survey Survey	18 Years -	Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Impact of Smoking Information on Concerns About Radon	NCT03499535	Lung Neoplasms Radon Exposure Smoking Intention Risk Reduction ...	Radon & Smoking... Radon Only Radon and Smoki... EPA Idaho	18 Years -	University of Iowa

Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for risk perception