Meeting the public's cancer information needs: characteristics of callers to the National Cancer Information Center of the American Cancer Society.

Background. In this study, we describe the characteristics of the callers of the American Cancer Society's National Cancer Information Center (NCIC), why they called, how they learned about NCIC, and their satisfaction. Methods. A random sample of callers (N = 19,487) completed a telephone survey. Results. The majority were female, White, 45 to 74 years old, had incomes greater than $35,001, and were college educated. They learned about the NCIC through TV advertisements and requested information about specific cancers, local programs, or making donations. Conclusions. These findings validate the usefulness of the NCIC and are helpful in identifying and targeting persons who do not routinely use this service.