Using Social Media as a Platform for Increasing Knowledge of Lung Cancer Screening in High-Risk Patients

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Communication
• Preventive Medicine

Background:

• Lung cancer screening uptake is low among high-risk populations.
• Patients often lack awareness of screening availability and insurance coverage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate social media's role in educating patients about lung cancer screening.
• To assess patient motivation to discuss screening after an educational intervention.

Main Methods:

• Recruited current/former smokers (55-77 years) via Facebook ads.
• Administered Lung Cancer Screening-12 (LCS-12) tool pre- and post-video.
• Assessed motivation to discuss screening with healthcare providers.

Main Results:

• Mean LCS-12 knowledge scores significantly increased post-video (p < .001).
• Participant knowledge improved from 5.26 to 8.19.
• Mean motivation level was 3.52, with a mode of 5.

Conclusions:

• Low knowledge about lung cancer screening impacts high-risk patients.
• Social media platforms can effectively enhance lung cancer screening knowledge.
• Social media plays a role in improving access to crucial health information.