Background: We examined the main topics of inquiry (Subjects of Interaction-SOI) of calls made by the general public to the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service's (CIS) 1-800-4-CANCER telephone information service.
Methods: We analyzed data from 37,620 callers to the CIS between September 2002 and August 2003. We conducted frequencies, chi-squares, and logistic regressions to ascertain sample characteristics and sociodemographic correlates of each SOI. Results. We found differences in discussion of the 7 main SOI by age, sex, ethnicity, race, and education.
Conclusions: Findings inform the CIS' and other organizations' efforts to develop and disseminate cancer information.