THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RACE/ETHNICITY AND TRUST IN SOURCES OF CANCER INFORMATION IN PATIENTS WITH UROLOGIC CANCERS

Abstract

Introduction

Where patients seek and obtain information regarding their cancer likely influences cancer care and treatment. Strategies to improve health communication and interventions rely on understanding variation in trust in sources of health information across populations. In this study, we evaluated the association between race/ethnicity and trust in different sources of cancer information.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey – Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (HINTS-SEER), a representative survey with respondents sampled from 3 SEER registries. We identified respondents with urologic cancers weighted to represent approximately 100,000 patients. Our primary outcome of interest was trust (A lot, Some, A little, None) in each of five sources of cancer information (doctor, family/friends, government health agencies, charitable organizations, and religious organizations). Survey weighted ordinal logistic regression was performed to test the association between race/ethnicity and trust in the five sources of cancer information

Results

We identified 348 survey respondents with urologic cancers including prostate (n=282), kidney (n=41), and bladder (n=25). Most respondents indicated "A lot" for trust in doctors (82.7%), "Some" for trust in government (50.7%) and charitable organizations (41.6%), "A little" for trust in family (42.1%), and "None" for trust in religious organizations (49.4%). On survey weighted analysis, the represented cohort consisted of 78.0% non-Hispanic White, 10.2% Hispanic, 6.3% Asian, 4.6% non-Hispanic Black, and 0.9% Other. On ordinal regression analysis, those who identified as Non-Hispanic Other were significantly less likely to trust doctors. Those who identified as Asian were more likely to trust friends and family and less likely to trust government agencies (Table 1).

Conclusions

Trust in sources of cancer information varies by race/ethnicity. A better understanding of this dynamic may guide strategies to optimize health communications and interventions and improve dissemination of critical cancer treatment and policy information for certain populations.