Cancer Health Impact Program (CHIP): Identifying social and demographic associations of mHealth access and cancer screening behaviors among Brooklyn residents.

BACKGROUND: Bedford-Stuyvesant (BS) and Bushwick (BW) communities of Brooklyn, New York are the predominantly African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods within the main catchment area Memorial Sloan Kettering. Cancer is a leading cause of death, with a higher prostate (PCa) and colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality than New York City. Opportunity to design cancer interventions which leverage accessibility and acceptability of mobile health (mHealth) tools exists.

METHODS: Cancer Health Impact Program (CHIP) was formed for this purpose. A tablet and Health Information National Trends (HINTS)- based survey collected and analyzed patterns of PCa and CRC screening and mHealth access.

RESULTS: Among 783 participants, 77% had a smartphone, 40% access to a mobile health application. 17% reported blood stool kit testing and 26% reported PSA screening. Multivariable logistic regression models demonstrated participants who owned smartphones without access to a health app were significantly more likely to report blood stool kit testing compared to participants without smartphones. Access to a health app was not significantly associated with PSA testing. Non-Hispanic Whites were 86% less likely to report CRC screening compared to non-Hispanic Black participants (OR = 0.15, 95% CI 0.02-0.49). Participants with prior history of cancer were 3x more likely to report CRC screening (OR = 3.18, 95% CI 1.55-6.63).

CONCLUSIONS: Significant differences were observed by race/ethnicity, cancer history, age, and smartphone use for CRC; for PCa, only age was significant.

IMPACT: Smartphones and mobile health apps may be prevalent among minority communities, other social and demographic characteristics are more likely to influence screening behaviors.