Participating in a community-based head and neck cancer screening clinic can help reduce tobacco use in at-risk populations, according to a study published online July 21 in Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery.
During a National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) race event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, researchers from Emory University School of Medicine and Oglethorpe University recruited 620 NASCAR fans for an initial screening, followed six months later by an 11-question telephone survey.
Of the 620 study participants, 150 required medical follow-up. Participants reported smoking significantly fewer cigarettes per day six months postscreening, compared with the number of cigarettes smoked at baseline. In fact, 44 (59%) participants reported reducing the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and 11 reported quitting smoking altogether.
"Large-scale community-based head and neck cancer screenings can be effectively implemented in nonmedical venues," co-author Edie Hapner, PhD, and colleagues noted. "This study demonstrated that targeting education for reduction of risk factors in the NASCAR population positively affected tobacco cessation."
