During National Lung Cancer Screening Awareness Month, University of Kentucky researchers were traveling across the Commonwealth to talk to Kentuckians about lung health. It's a project built for and with Kentuckians.
Through community-engaged, participatory research, the team is gathering information directly from residents about resonant messaging and how to reduce the stigma that keeps many people from getting screened. The project is led by Erin Hester, Ph.D., assistant professor of integrated strategic communication in the UK College of Communication and Information, in collaboration with postdoctoral scholar Adam Tristán, Ph.D., and undergraduate student Megan Delgado. It aims to strengthen statewide outreach by leveraging evidence-based strategic communication.
The research team is visiting health fairs, car shows and community events across rural and urban Kentucky to collect insights that shape tailored, people-centered communication strategies. Each interaction helps refine messages that acknowledge real experiences and focus on hope rather than blame.
The research project is sponsored by the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and conducted in partnership with members of the Kentucky Lung Cancer Screening Program Advisory Board, including the Kentucky Cancer Programs at UK Markey Cancer Center and University of Louisville, the Kentucky Cancer Consortium, and other statewide health and advocacy organizations.
"Our partners across Kentucky are already doing extraordinary work to expand lung-cancer screening outreach and education," Hester said. "Our role as communication researchers is to complement that effort - to understand the emotions, values and language that either open doors or close them. When we listen first and let communities guide the message, it becomes more powerful and less stigmatizing."
That philosophy guided the team's recent participation in the first-ever Revved Up for Lungs event in Winchester. Teresa Daniels, a lung cancer survivor and advocate, teamed up with the annual Brent Crump Memorial Car Show to bring health education and outreach to community members who may be eligible for screening.
"Early detection saved my life," Daniels said. "Christ gave me this second chance to help others get screened. Cancer doesn't have to define us. I'm proof that treatment works and there is life after cancer."
Attendees and their families participated in the car show exhibit, explored the giant inflatable lungs, shared input on early campaign ideas and picked up resources from KCP, Clark Regional Medical Center, Kentucky Department for Public Health Lung Cancer Screening Program, the American Lung Association Kentucky and the Clark County Health Department.
"It's all about meeting people where they are," Hester said. "Whether it's a car show, the local beauty salon, a Legion post or church parking lot, that's where we want to be. We can create something that turns conversation into action only when people feel seen, heard and understood in our messaging."
Kentucky continues to experience some of the highest lung cancer diagnosis and death rates in the nation. Yet, early detection is changing the story. Lung-cancer screening uses a noninvasive, low-dose CT scan - like taking a picture - to detect cancer early, when it's most treatable.
Hester's team believes pairing these medical advances with community-driven messaging and commercial marketing tactics will help more Kentuckians feel comfortable talking with providers and accessing free screenings.
For Delgado, a senior double-majoring in integrated strategic communication and health communication, the project has been a bridge between coursework and community impact.
"Everything we learn in ISC - audience analysis, research methods, persuasion and framing messages - comes to life through this project," Delgado said. "Doing this work in real communities has given me the confidence that I can use my degree to make a meaningful difference in the health of our communities."
Join the statewide effort grounded in community voices
The team is now inviting Kentuckians who are eligible for free lung cancer screening - adults ages 50-80 who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years and have a 20 pack-year smoking history - to share their experiences through brief interviews. Whether participants have been screened or not, their input will help shape future messaging across Kentucky.
Each story helps make communication and outreach more reflective of the Kentuckians these lung cancer screening programs are meant to serve.
