Cancer risk factors awareness and cancer perceptions among African Americans and Sub-Saharan African immigrants

Abstract Background: Cancer risk factors awareness and cancer perceptions may influence individuals’ engagement or lack of engagement in preventive health behaviors including cancer screening and lifestyle changes. Blacks in the US have disproportionately higher death rates and the shortest survival rates than any ethnic or racial group for most cancers. Many factors may contribute to the elevated cancer burden, including level of awareness of cancer lifestyle risk factors and negative cancer perceptions. However, further research is needed to know more about cancer risk awareness and perceptions among ethnic sub-groups of Blacks. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess awareness of cancer risk factors and cancer perceptions among African Americans and sub-Saharan African immigrant adults. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional self-administered survey of 109 African Americans and 88 sub-Saharan African Black adults recruited from a medium size city in the Southeastern US and surrounding towns. Data collected included sociodemographics, measures of cancer risk awareness, and cancer perceptions. Linear regression models evaluated associations among sociodemographics and cancer risk factor awareness and cancer perceptions variables. Results: Participants’ average age was 41.5 years (SD=12.9), the majority were female (59%), and (45%) self-identified as sub-Saharan African immigrants. Based on a list of 13 cancer risk factors, the average number identified correctly was 6.5 (SD = 3.3). For cancer risk perceptions, with higher scores reflecting more negative cancer perceptions, scores were moderate (M = 13.8, SD = 2.8; potential range 5-25). Age, insurance status, education, and financial comfort were significantly associated with cancer risk factor awareness. For cancer risk perceptions, insurance status, education, and financial comfort were significant in the unadjusted analysis. Education was the only significant predictor for each outcome. Every one-level increase in educational attainment was associated with a 0.5-point increase in cancer risk factor awareness (b = 0.499, SD = 0.229; p = .031) and a 0.5-point decrease in cancer risk perception scores (b = -0.500, SE = 0.201; p = .014). Age, gender, ethnicity, marital status, insurance status, and financial comfort were not associated with either outcome in the adjusted model. Conclusion: Additional research is needed to improve cancer awareness and perceptions among Black adults. Future research should target women at higher risk of low awareness of cancer risk factors and negative cancer perceptions due to lower educational attainment. Increased attention to health promotion using different avenues and ensuring literacy may improve awareness of cancer risk factors and cancer risk perceptions. Citation Format: Adebola Adegboyega, Adaeze Aroh, Amanda Wiggins, Mark Dignan. Cancer risk factors awareness and cancer perceptions among African Americans and Sub-Saharan African immigrants [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 15th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2022 Sep 16-19; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2022;31(1 Suppl):Abstract nr A093.