ArticleHealth expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy2009
Conceptual problems in laypersons' understanding of individualized cancer risk: a qualitative study.
Article in Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effect of interventions including provision of personalised cancer risk information on accuracy of risk perception and psychological responses: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Patient education and counseling · 2020Pooled it
- Racial and ethnic differences in valuation of life expectancy in prostate cancer treatment decision making.Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2026Article
- Patient preferences for life expectancy cutoffs for aggressive treatment in clinically localized prostate cancer.Urologic oncology · 2025Article
- Women's preferences for testing to predict breast cancer risk - a discrete choice experiment.Journal of translational medicine · 2025Article
- Laypersons' understanding of statistical concepts commonly used in prescription drug promotion: A review of the research literature.Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP · 2024Article
- Bridging the ICT Revolution and Communication Inequality: Lessons for Cancer Survivors.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2023Article
- Analysis of the components of cancer risk perception and links with intention and behaviour: A UK-based study.PloS one · 2022Article
- Article
- Translating Cancer Risk Prediction Models into Personalized Cancer Risk Assessment Tools: Stumbling Blocks and Strategies for Success.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2020Article
- Head and neck cancer patients' preferences for individualized prognostic information: a focus group study.BMC cancer · 2020Article
- Surgeon use of medical jargon with parents in the outpatient setting.Patient education and counseling · 2019Article
- Communicating uncertainty in cancer prognosis: A review of web-based prognostic tools.Patient education and counseling · 2019Review
- "To know or not to know…?" Push and pull in ever smokers lung screening uptake decision-making intentions.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2019Article
- How Uncertainty Influences Lay People's Attitudes and Risk Perceptions Concerning Predictive Genetic Testing and Risk Communication.Frontiers in genetics · 2019Article
- Risk accuracy of type 2 diabetes in middle aged adults: Associations with sociodemographic, clinical, psychological and behavioural factors.Patient education and counseling · 2018Article
- Incorporating cancer risk information into general practice: a qualitative study using focus groups with health professionals.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2017Article
- GPs' perceptions and experiences of public awareness campaigns for cancer: a qualitative enquiry.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2016Article
- Laypersons' views of material incentives for enhancing colorectal cancer screening.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2015Article
- Canadian adolescents' perspectives of cancer risk: a qualitative study.Health promotion international · 2015Article
- Perceived risk for breast cancer and its relationship to mammography in Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2013Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo explore laypersons' understanding of individualized cancer risk estimates, and to identify conceptual problems that may limit this understanding.
backgroundRisk prediction models are increasingly used to provide people with information about their individual risk of cancer and other diseases. However, laypersons may have difficulty understanding individualized risk information, because of conceptual as well as computational problems.
designA qualitative study was conducted using focus groups. Semi-structured interviews explored participants' understandings of the concept of risk, and their interpretations of a hypothetical individualized colorectal cancer risk estimate. SETTING AND
participantsEight focus groups were conducted with 48 adults aged 50-74 years residing in two major US metropolitan areas. Participants had high school or greater education, some familiarity with information technology, and no personal or family history of cancer.
resultsSeveral important conceptual problems were identified. Most participants thought of risk not as a neutral statistical concept, but as signifying danger and emotional threat, and viewed cancer risk in terms of concrete risk factors rather than mathematical probabilities. Participants had difficulty acknowledging uncertainty implicit to the concept of risk, and judging the numerical significance of individualized risk estimates. The most challenging conceptual problems related to conflict between subjective and objective understandings of risk, and difficulties translating aggregate-level objective risk estimates to the individual level.
conclusionsSeveral conceptual problems limit laypersons' understanding of individualized cancer risk information. These problems have implications for future research on health numeracy, and for the application of risk prediction models in clinical and public health settings.
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