Nativity and Cancer Information-Seeking Behaviors Among Middle-Aged and Older-Adults in the United States.

Authors

Sapna Anne Kedia, Shreya Sirohi, Coree Entwistle, Hyunmin Kim, Alexandria M Boykins, Asos Mahmood

Published in

Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities. Jul 29, 2026. Epub Jul 29, 2026.

Abstract

Foreign-born U.S. residents experience disparities across the cancer continuum, including lower rates of colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening compared to U.S.-born adults. Language discordance, cultural differences, and challenges navigating the healthcare system contribute to these inequities. Because cancer information-seeking behaviors influence cancer screening and treatment decision-making, this study examines the association between nativity and cancer information-seeking among middle-aged and older in the U.S. We utilized pooled data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS4, Cycle 4 [2014] and HINTS5, Cycles 1 & 2 [2017 & 2018]) for a sample of 5,311 respondents (aged ≥ 50 years) who sought health and medical information from any source. We investigated associations between U.S.- and foreign-born status and cancer information-seeking behavior by fitting a weighted multivariable logistic regression to generate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). About 530 (10.5%) respondents were foreign-born. Respondents were primarily aged 50-64 years (n = 2,751; 63.2%), female (n = 3,054; 53.7%), had ≥ 1 chronic medical condition (n = 4,084; 72.6%), and had a regular health provider (n = 4,245; 79.2%). More than half (n = 3,070; 55.7%) ever sought cancer information from any source. Compared to the U.S.-born, foreign-born respondents had lower odds of cancer information-seeking (aOR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.47-0.96). The findings demonstrate that middle-aged and older foreign-born adults were less likely to engage in cancer information-seeking compared to U.S.-born respondents. Tailored interventions that are responsive to the diverse needs of foreign-born populations may encourage cancer information-seeking and enhance their knowledge of cancer, preventive care, and cancer treatment options.

PMID:
42527753
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jul 2026.

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