This study evaluated the impact of the Cancer Research UK Cancer Awareness Roadshow, a community-based intervention delivered in lower socioeconomic communities across the UK.
The Roadshow uses mobile information units staffed by trained cancer awareness nurses to provide information on cancer prevention, symptoms, screening, and local support services. The evaluation explored whether attending the Roadshow improved awareness of cancer risk factors and symptoms, attitudes towards cancer and help-seeking, and cancer-related health behaviours. Data were collected from 1,196 Roadshow visitors, comparing people surveyed before and after their visit, with a smaller group followed up two months later.
People who attended the Roadshow had greater awareness of cancer risk factors than those surveyed before their visit. Improvements in the percentage recognising risk factors were particularly evident for awareness of the links between cancer and physical inactivity (9.5 percentage point increase), low fruit and vegetable consumption (9.1 percentage point increase), and alcohol use (7.6 percentage point increase). These gains were largely maintained two months later.
Awareness of cancer symptoms was already relatively high among attendees and did not increase substantially following the Roadshow.
Attitudes towards help-seeking became more positive after visiting the Roadshow. Attendees were less likely to worry about wasting their GP's time(20.4% vs 23.1%), less worried about what a doctor might find (27.8% vs 38.1%), and less likely to report lack of confidence talking to a GP about possible symptoms (12.6% vs 17.9%). Most of these improvements were maintained at follow-up.
The Roadshow reduced some fatalistic beliefs about cancer. Visitors were less likely to believe that there was nothing people could do to reduce their cancer risk after attending (10.0% vs 15.2%). However, this improvement was not fully maintained at two months.
Among smokers, attendees were more likely than pre-visit participants to report intending to quit smoking within the next month (68.5% vs 53.5%). There was also evidence of a reduction in smoking prevalence at two-month follow-up, with 15.8% of smokers reporting that they had quit.
The Roadshow appeared to encourage engagement with health services. Around a third of attendees (33.6%) intended to make a GP appointment about a concerning symptom, and almost a quarter (24.1%) reported having visited their GP during the two-month follow-up. Most attributed this action to their Roadshow visit.
There was less evidence that the intervention translated into broader lifestyle behaviour changes. Physical activity did not increase over time and reported fruit and vegetable consumption actually declined between the post-visit survey and follow-up.
This study suggests that community-based cancer awareness interventions can successfully reach people in everyday settings and improve knowledge and attitudes related to cancer prevention and early diagnosis. By taking cancer information directly into local communities, the Roadshow may be particularly effective at engaging groups who are less likely to actively seek out health information.
The findings are especially important because awareness of cancer risk factors and fears about help-seeking are known barriers to prevention and early diagnosis. Improvements in understanding cancer risks, confidence speaking to healthcare professionals, and willingness to seek help could contribute to earlier presentation and diagnosis over time.
The results also highlight the challenges of translating awareness into sustained behaviour change. Although attendees became more knowledgeable and reported stronger intentions, evidence of longer-term changes in diet and physical activity was limited. This suggests that awareness-raising interventions may work best when linked to additional support services and follow-up behaviour change opportunities.
Overall, the study indicates that the Cancer Awareness Roadshow can be a useful component of wider cancer prevention and early diagnosis strategies. Community outreach initiatives such as the Roadshow may act as important "building blocks" that increase engagement with cancer information, reduce barriers to help-seeking, and support subsequent interventions designed to achieve more sustained behaviour change.
Read in full on the Science Direct websiteSamuel G Smith, Kirstie Osborne, Sophie Tring, Helen George, Emily Power.
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