Nativity and Cancer Information-Seeking Behaviors Among Middle-Aged and Older-Adults in the United States

Foreign-born U.S. residents experience disparities across the cancer continuum, including lower rates of colorectal, breast, and cervical cancer screening compared to U.S.-born adults. Language discordance, cultural differences, and challenges navigating the healthcare system contribute to these inequities. Because cancer information-seeking behaviors influence cancer screening and treatment decision-making, this study examines the association between nativity and cancer information-seeking among middle-aged and older in the U.S. We utilized pooled data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS4, Cycle 4 [2014] and HINTS5, Cycles 1 & 2 [2017 & 2018]) for a sample of 5,311 respondents (aged ≥ 50 years) who sought health and medical information from any source. We investigated associations between U.S.- and foreign-born status and cancer information-seeking behavior by fitting a weighted multivariable logistic regression to generate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). About 530 (10.5%) respondents were foreign-born. Respondents were primarily aged 50–64 years ( n = 2,751; 63.2%), female ( n = 3,054; 53.7%), had ≥ 1 chronic medical condition ( n = 4,084; 72.6%), and had a regular health provider ( n = 4,245; 79.2%). More than half ( n = 3,070; 55.7%) ever sought cancer information from any source. Compared to the U.S.-born, foreign-born respondents had lower odds of cancer information-seeking (aOR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.47–0.96). The findings demonstrate that middle-aged and older foreign-born adults were less likely to engage in cancer information-seeking compared to U.S.-born respondents. Tailored interventions that are responsive to the diverse needs of foreign-born populations may encourage cancer information-seeking and enhance their knowledge of cancer, preventive care, and cancer treatment options.