The Impact of a Community-Based Oral,Head and Neck Cancer Screening for Reducing Tobacco Consumption

Abstract

Objective. Examine the usefulness of large-scale community-based head and neck cancer screening for reducing tobacco use in an at-risk population. Questions answered: (1) Is participating in a community-based head and neck cancer screening related to a reduction in tobacco usage? (2) Do differing factors between participants predict behavior change?

Study Design. Survey based with a longitudinal follow-up component.

Setting. Atlanta Motor Speedway during a National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) race event.

Subjects and Methods. Recruited NASCAR fans (n = 620). Initial screening and 11-question survey for 6-month telephone follow-up.

Results. One hundred fifty-six participants (25%) required medical follow-up. Chi-square analysis indicated a significantly higher proportion of smokers (13%) evidenced positive findings compared to nonsmokers (8%) or past smokers (6%). Kruskal-Wallis analysis followed by Dunn’s multiple comparison post hoc test indicated smokers were from a significantly lower socioeconomic status background compared to nonsmokers. Analysis of variance indicated contacted participants reported smoking significantly fewer cigarettes per day 6 months postscreening compared to the number of cigarettes smoked at the baseline. Forty-four (59%) participants reported reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and 11 participants reported quitting smoking.

Conclusion. The authors have demonstrated that large-scale community-based head and neck cancer screenings can be effectively implemented in nonmedical venues. This study demonstrated that targeting education for reduction of risk factors in the NASCAR population positively affected tobacco cessation.