Posted: March 13, 2017
Members of the UK College of Nursing Bridging Research Efforts and Advocacy Toward Health Environments (BREATHE) team recently had an article published in the Journal of Environmental Health (JEH) titled “Lung Cancer Worry and Home Screening for Radon and Secondhand Smoke in Renters.”
Authors include Ellen J. Hahn, PhD, RN, FAAN, Marcia A. Dake Professor of Nursing and director of BREATHE; Karen M. Butler, DNP, RN, associate professor and assistant dean of academic operations; Carol Riker, MSN, RN, associate professor emeritus; Kathy Rademacher, data management coordinator for BREATHE; Amanda Wiggins, PhD, lecturer; Mary Kay Rayens, PhD, professor and BREATHE co-director; and Marissa Hooper, BSN, RN, former undergraduate research intern.
The study assessed the relationships of demographic factors, including having one or more smokers living in the household, and a) lung cancer worry and b) completion of home screening for radon and secondhand smoke (SHS) among renters. The researchers found that people who live with one or more smokers or who have at most a high school degree might be most motivated to take action to reduce their risk of lung cancer.
“We’ve learned that constructing and delivering educational messages that target low-educated populations may promote radon testing and smoke-free homes,” says Dr. Hahn. “Breathing radon is dangerous, but it is even more harmful when you also breathe tobacco smoke.”
The project was funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). This project was supported, in part, by the University of Kentucky College of Nursing Undergraduate Research Internship Program.
The feature article was published in volume 79.6, pages 8-13, in January 2017. The issue cover artwork portrays the BREATHE feature article. View the full issue here.
The JEH is published 10 times per year by the National Environmental Health Association and keeps readers up-to-date on current issues, new research, useful products and services and employment opportunities. As the only direct link to the complete spectrum of environmental health topics, the JEH reaches more than 20,000 professionals working to solve problems in areas such as air quality, drinking water, food safety and protection and more.
Posted with permission by the Journal of Environmental Health, January/February 2018, Volume 79, Number 6. A publication of the National Environmental Health Association (www.neha.org).