Understanding cognitive and emotional illness representations of South Asian head and neck cancer survivors: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Head and neck cancer (HNC) constitutes a substantial portion of the cancer burden worldwide, with over 550,000 new cases and over 300,000 deaths annually, with disproportionately high mortality rates in the developing countries. The large majority of HNCs are caused by tobacco use, and synergistic effects of tobacco and alcohol use. Using the Common-Sense Model (CSM) as a framework, this qualitative study sought to understand South Asian HNC survivors' cognitive and emotional representations of their cancer; and to assess if these representations differ by smokeless tobacco (SLT) vs. smoked tobacco use.

Design

In-depth semi-structured interviews, conducted with South Asian HNC survivors (N = 15, 80% participants were immigrants, while 20% came to the United

SUBMITTER: Banerjee SC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7524586 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature