Health beliefs and lung cancer screening uptake among eligible Asian Americans in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.

OBJECTIVE

Asian Americans experience disproportionately late-stage lung cancer diagnoses and lower lung cancer screening (LCS) rates than other racial groups. This study evaluated the association between the Connect4LungHealth intervention, lung cancer beliefs, and LCS completion among eligible Chinese and Korean Americans.

METHODS

This pilot randomized controlled trial, conducted April 2023-January 2024 within a Philadelphia health system, tested a culturally and linguistically tailored intervention led by community health workers. LCS completion and LCS-Health Belief Scale (LCS-HBS) responses were compared between control and intervention participants (n = 36).

RESULTS

LCS completion was higher in the intervention group (45%) than in the control (31.3%). Control participants who completed LCS reported higher perceived lung cancer risk, greater perceived benefits, and fewer perceived barriers than those who did not. Intervention participants who completed LCS reported higher self-efficacy for LCS. Completion was higher among participants with lower socioeconomic status (SES). Median time to completion was shorter in the intervention group (6.1 months versus 17.1 months).

CONCLUSIONS

This tailored navigation intervention was associated with increased LCS completion, especially among patients with lower SES. Baseline health beliefs differed between those who did and did not complete LCS. These findings identify targets for future interventions to increase LCS uptake.