Understanding residential socioeconomic and behavioral patterns for home air radon testing: a population-based...

Radon is a known environmental carcinogen associated with thousands of lung cancers each year. Understanding characteristics associated with testing is critical to design interventions to increase acceptance and promote mitigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate socioeconomic factors and cancer beliefs associated with previous home air radon testing, mitigation, and-for those who had not yet tested-acceptance of a free test.

A population-based survey was administered to adults residing in New Hampshire and Vermont to understand previous home air radon testing and mitigation patterns, and among those who had not previously tested, acceptance of information on how to request a free test. The proportions of test kits requested and returned are reported.

Of 1,717 survey respondents, 513 (29.7%) had previously tested for radon, 767 (44.7%) had not, and 437 (25.5%) did not know. Those who had not previously tested (767/1,280; 60%) had lower educational attainment, were less likely to be married, were less likely to be homeowners, and were more likely to express negative attitudes towards cancer prevention than those who had. Of 108 respondents whose previous test had shown levels ≥2.0 pCi/L, only 59 (55%) had installed a new mitigation system. Of those with a steady place to live, 996 had not previously tested for radon or did not know. Those 996 were offered information on how to obtain a free test kit and 66% accepted (659/996); 49% of those (324/659) used the information to request a kit, and 38% of those (124/324) returned the kit for testing. In multivariable models, not previously testing the home for radon was significantly associated with being divorced/separated, household income <$150,000, and lack of employment-based health insurance. Among those without a prior test, declining information for a free radon test was significantly associated with educational attainment of high school or less, and inversely associated with being divorced/separated.

Resident differences in socioeconomic factors and cancer beliefs regarding home air radon testing may offer potential opportunities for targeted interventions designed to decrease radon-associated lung cancer deaths.