Testing for radon and tailoring health messages to increase awareness in a rural community

Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer. Few homeowners test for radon and increased awareness of its health risks is warranted. A Test Your Home and Win Contest was conducted in a small rural community in Kentucky. Study participants were recruited via multiple media channels over a six-week period. Participants completing a 10-minute online survey (i.e., questions about their home, tobacco use, lung cancer history, and other sociodemographic information) received a free radon test kit and were eligible to win a free mitigation system. 77 households met the inclusion criteria, completed the initial survey, and tested their homes; 84% of the tests were returned and readable. Radon levels ranged from <0.3 to 37.7 pCi/L and the homes with the 3 highest radon levels were mitigated by a certified mitigation specialist. 41% of the homes that returned readable tests were at or above the Environmental Protection Agency action level of 4.0 pCi/L; highlighting the need to disseminate information about radon, its harmful health effects, and how to test and mitigate. Follow-up focus groups were held in order to describe the most effective ways to deliver health messages about radon, testing, and mitigation. Key findings from the focus groups revealed: myths about radon are prevalent; health messages emphasizing radon's harmful effects on children may be the most effective in persuading participants to test and mitigate for radon; and public health professionals and health care providers, as trusted members of the community, may be the most effective in disseminating this information.