Introduction: Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, killing almost 22,000 people in Poland every year. Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) is the most promising tool of secondary prophylaxis leading to early detection and thus successful treatment of this malignancy. Knowledge about socio-demographic factors that affect participation in lung cancer early detection programs is essential for the future design and implementation of such programs.

Material and methods: Among the 8649 participants of the Pomeranian Lung Cancer Screening Program (PLCSP), 1619 individuals responded to a questionnaire that had been designed to assess socio-demographic data of participants at high risk of developing lung cancer. The survey was conducted on-site after reception of results by the program participants.

Results: Among the survey participants, 777 (48%) were current cigarette smokers. The majority of them represented low or medium level of wealth status. The respondents positively evaluated the promotional campaign during the PLCSP, although 43% of them indicated family and friends as a source of information about the program. As the most important action that stimulated the participation, 46% of the respondents indicated the awareness campaign involving a celebrity, and 45% of them indicated the presence of cancer in the family. The influence of healthcare employees on the participation in the screening program was minimal. More than half of the respondents (53%) declared a willingness to co-finance a similar prophylactic program in the future in an amount not exceeding 100 PLN.

Conclusions: An effective promotional campaign in the media, the influence of family and a campaign involving a celebrity promoted attendance at the screening program. The influence of healthcare employees on the participation in the program was minimal. The majority of the screened population declared a willingness to actively participate in the costs of LDCT examination.