Personalized environmental risk communication and cancer screening intent among rural private well users

Private well contamination poses underappreciated cancer risks in rural communities where screening rates remain low. We examined whether personalized well water testing and environmental health education framed by the Champion Health Belief Model (CHBM), influence cancer screening intent among rural private well owners in southeast Georgia.

Between July and October 2025, a 14-week study enrolled 100 private well owners assigned to an education-plus-testing group (n = 50) or a testing-only group (n = 50). Pre- and post-intervention surveys assessed CHBM constructs and screening intent. Binary logistic regression identified psychosocial and environmental predictors.

Overall, 68% of wells contained at least one contaminant, with radon exceeding 300 pCi/L in 56% of samples. Cancer screening intent rose 32% in the education-plus-testing group and 36% in the testing-only group. Understanding personalized well results was the strongest predictor of screening intent (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 4.75, p = .029), and detection of any contaminant was independently associated with higher intent (AOR = 2.67, p = .039).

Personalized environmental exposure information may serve as a social-determinants-informed cue to action, bridging environmental risk communication and cancer prevention in underserved rural communities.