W- HEALTH PROPOSAL PART 2

Lung Cancer in the United States: A Health Promotion Proposal Part 1

Lung Cancer in the United States: A Health Promotion Proposal Part 1

Lung cancer remains one of the leading public health concerns in the United States and is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. The American Cancer Society (2023) estimated that in 2023, there were approximately 238,340 new cases of lung cancer and an estimated 127,070 deaths from the disease. Despite therapeutic advances, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is just 23% due to delayed diagnosis. Cigarette smoking is the leading risk factor for lung cancer, accounting for approximately 85% of lung cancers. However, exposure to radon gas, secondhand smoke, and occupational exposures such as asbestos are also significant. This proposal seeks to achieve a battle against lung cancer by implementing a health promotion program encompassing smoking cessation, early detection, and risk factor education. The anticipated outcome is a quantifiable decrease in the smoking prevalence and an elevation in the early-stage lung cancer diagnosis among the population of focus within five years.

Vulnerable Population

The population targeted by this health promotion activity is present and past smokers, people of low socioeconomic status, and the rural population. Disproportionate prevalence of smoking is more prevalent in people with low incomes, and it has been determined through research that education and income are predictors of smoking (Jeon et al., 2023). Rural communities also pose specific problems, such as low health facility coverage and high tobacco use. Individuals residing in rural communities, for example, are more exposed to secondhand smoke and less likely to be screened for cancer promptly.

Risk factors for this group are prolonged tobacco use, reduced access to preventative services, and exposure to radon and asbestos in the environment. It has been shown that low-SES individuals are less inclined to pursue smoking cessation treatment due to problems with affordability, absence of insurance coverage, and inadequate education about treatment options (Duncan-Watt, 2024). Also, social norms and cultural aspects among specific populations might present tobacco smoking-related behaviors, which will be difficult for the users to avoid. Management of these risk factors includes a complex approach that includes education, resource availability, and community interventions.

Review of Literature

Smoking cessation interventions in the community have been widely studied for their effectiveness, particularly among vulnerable populations. Tzeli et al. (2024) evaluated smoking cessation in Roma women and found that culturally tailored interventions significantly contributed to quit rates. However, social stigma and inadequate access to healthcare remain the main challenges. Smiley and Felner (2024) also noted the case of Black smokers in Los Angeles, where free and community-based cessation services improved outcomes but continued to have financial and structural barriers. Duncan-Watt (2024) evaluated primary care smoking cessation programs with an emphasis on integrating behavioral counseling with medical care and found that patient-centered treatment in primary care facilities led to higher long-term rates of cessation.

Increased availability of lung cancer screening has also come to be recognized as a preventive measure. According to the American Cancer Society (2023), the approximate number of new lung cases as of 2023 was 238,340, and in the same year, there were almost 127,070 deaths resulting from the disease. Yang et al. (2025) showed that LDCT screening is effective in identifying earlier lung cancer but noted the problems of overdiagnosis and emotional distress as a result of false positives. Equal access to screening was also necessary since money and organizational issues keep many at risk from being able to access these screenings.

Socioeconomic disparities also make smoking cessation and lung cancer screening complex. Jeon et al. (2023) explain that there exists higher smoking prevalence in lower-income populations and decreased rates of quitting. These findings are consistent with the challenges witnessed in cessation efforts in the community to justify interventions, which will be targeted in this case. Structural barriers, including accessibility and affordability of care, continue to minimize the effectiveness of smoking cessation alongside early detection.

Health Promotion Theoretical Framework

The Health Belief Model (HBM) is the operational model for this proposal. HBM is a psychological model to explain and predict health behavior based on people's attitudes and beliefs. According to the HBM, an individual will engage in health-promoting behavior if he or she thinks that he or she is vulnerable to disease (perceived susceptibility), the condition has terrible consequences (perceived severity), and it is worth acting (perceived benefits vs. barriers) compared to the barriers (Alyafei & Easton-Carr, 2024). The model also brings attention to cue relevance to action, as reminders or information campaigns, as mechanisms for enabling change in behavior.

HBM can be applied to promote smoking cessation and early detection. Public education campaigns, for example, can increase perceived severity and susceptibility by emphasizing the relation of smoking to lung cancer. Providing information on the benefits of giving up smoking and the fact that cessation activities are free or low cost can counteract perceived barriers. Presenting LDCT screening as life-saving will encourage heavy smokers to get screened on a repeated basis. The HBM's focus on the attitudes and beliefs of an individual ensures that it is highly effective in addressing determinants of psychological and behavioral conditions of lung cancer.

Conclusion

This proposal sets forth a comprehensive health promotion program to prevent lung cancer in the United States, including smoking cessation, early detection, and awareness. Directed at its efforts toward those at-risk groups of ex-smokers and smokers, low-income individuals, and rural dwellers, the program seeks to avert the use of tobacco products and enhance early detection of lung cancers. The Health Belief Model provides a strong theoretical basis for developing interventions and changing behavior. Combining public education campaigns, community-based programs, and increased access to screening, this proposal has the potential to make a measurable difference in lung cancer incidence in the United States.

References

Alyafei, A., & Easton-Carr, R. (2024). The health belief model of behavior change. In  StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK606120/

American Cancer Society. (2023). American Cancer Society Updates Lung Cancer Screening Guideline: Nearly Five Million U.S. Adults Who Smoke and Formerly Smoked Now Recommended for Testing. American Cancer Society. https://pressroom.cancer.org/releases?item=1274#:~:text=In%202023%2C%20ACS%20researchers%20estimate,age%20can%20get%20lung%20cancer.

Duncan-Watt, Y. (2024).  Evaluation of a Smoking Cessation Program in Primary Care (Doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri-Saint Louis). https://irl.umsl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2506&context=dissertation

Jeon, J., Cao, P., Fleischer, N. L., Levy, D. T., Holford, T. R., Meza, R., & Tam, J. (2023). Birth cohort-specific smoking patterns by family income in the US.  American journal of preventive medicine,  64(4), S32-S41. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379722004512

Smiley, S. L., & Felner, J. K. (2024). Community voices: A qualitative study exploring perceptions of menthol cigarette sales restrictions in Los Angeles County Among Black adults who smoke menthol cigarettes.  Nicotine and Tobacco Research,  26(Supplement_2), S82-S88. https://academic.oup.com/ntr/article-pdf/26/Supplement_2/S82/58007434/ntad141.pdf

Tzeli, M., Vivilaki, V., Asimaki, E., Triantafyllou, E., Vlachou, M., & Diamanti, A. (2024). The road ahead: Improving smoking cessation outcomes for Roma women.  Tobacco Prevention & Cessation,  10(Supplement 1). https://www.tobaccopreventioncessation.com/The-road-ahead-Improving-smoking-cessation-outcomes-for-Roma-women,194266,0,2.html

Yang, S., Lim, S. H., Hong, J. H., Park, J. S., Kim, J., & Kim, H. W. (2025). Deep learning-based lung cancer risk assessment using chest computed tomography images without pulmonary nodules≥ 8 mm.  Translational Lung Cancer Research,  14(1). https://tlcr.amegroups.org/article/view/95776/html