title: Public attitudes about lung cancer: stigma, support, and predictors of support.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, yet public engagement with efforts against lung cancer is low. Public engagement with a cancer is critical to efforts to combat it, yet the reasons for low support for efforts against lung cancer have not been systematically characterized.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a telephone survey of 1,071 people to determine levels of engagement and attitudes that might potentially drive engagement. These were then analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight percent of participants were involved with a lung cancer organization and 12% chose it among cancers to receive more support. Most participants felt that lung cancer was principally caused by external factors, that it could be cured if caught early, and that lung cancer patients were at least partly to blame for their illness. In multivariate analysis, participants who were supportive in some way of efforts against lung cancer were more likely to be employed, live in suburbia, and to be unsure of the cause of lung cancer. Potential supporters were more likely to be employed, female, younger, have higher income, to believe that genetics is the primary cause of lung cancer, and to believe that lung cancer can be cured when caught early. Participants frequently noted that they supported a particular cancer because of knowing someone affected by that cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As the lung cancer movement attempts to grow and increase its impact, the most successful recruitment efforts will be targeted to these groups.
authors: Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors: Jared
authors: J
authors: Weiss
authors: Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors: Briana J
authors: BJ
authors: Stephenson
authors: Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors: Lloyd J
authors: LJ
authors: Edwards
authors: Lung Cancer Alliance, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Maureen
authors: M
authors: Rigney
authors: Lung Cancer Alliance, Washington, DC, USA.
authors: Amy
authors: A
authors: Copeland
keywords: advocacy; lung cancer; stigma