ArticleSocial science & medicine (1982)2015
Avoiding cancer risk information.
Article in Social science & medicine (1982), 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers.
What it found
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
52 citing papers in PubMed.
- Injunctive social norms and perceived message tailoring are associated with health information seeking.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Trial
- The use of Web-based interactive technology to promote HPV vaccine uptake among young females: a randomized controlled trial.BMC women's health · 2021Trial
- Improving Adherence to Colorectal Cancer Screening: A Randomized Intervention to Compare Screener vs. Survivor Narratives.Journal of health communication · 2019Trial
- Participation in Cervical and Breast Cancer Screening Among Working Women in Japan: Panel Survey Study.JMIR cancer · 2026Article
- Behavioral economics, lifestyle, and health-related factors associated with participation in breast and cervical cancer screenings: A cross-sectional analysis of Japanese women.Preventive medicine reports · 2025Article
- Beliefs about the effects of health behaviors on cancer risk: findings from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2025Article
- Healthcare Information Avoidance in the Context of Caring for a Child with a Serious Illness.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Acceptance and attitudes towards genetic cancer testing among German general practice patients: a cross-sectional survey.Family medicine and community health · 2025Article
- Ancestry-Specific Hypothetical Genetic Feedback About Lung Cancer Risk in African American Individuals Who Smoke: Cognitive, Emotional, and Motivational Effects on Cessation.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- When breast cancer patients participate in ritual interactive activities: the mechanism of perceived emotional synchrony on health information avoidance.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- Physical health mindsets and information avoidance.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Article
- Patients' Use of Electronic Health Records Facilitates Patient-Centered Communication: Findings From the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- Characteristics associated with early vs. late adoption of lung cancer screening.Preventive medicine reports · 2024Article
- Colorectal cancer information avoidance is associated with screening adherence.Journal of behavioral medicine · 2024Article
- Examining the Role of Information Behavior in Linking Cancer Risk Perception and Cancer Worry to Cancer Fatalism in China: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Article
- HIV Information Avoidance, HIV Stigma, and Medical Mistrust among Black Sexual Minority Men in the Southern United States: Associations with HIV Testing.AIDS and behavior · 2024Article
- Understanding the Process of Family Cancer History Collection and Health Information Seeking.Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education · 2023Article
- [A gendered perspective of information behaviors, its drivers, and barriers : Results of an online survey of a sample stratified for the German population].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2023Article
- Article
- Self-efficacy to Get Cancer-Related Information or Advice.Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
rationalePerceived risk for health problems such as cancer is a central construct in many models of health decision making and a target for behavior change interventions. However, some portion of the population actively avoids cancer risk information. The prevalence of, explanations for, and consequences of such avoidance are not well understood.
objectiveWe examined the prevalence and demographic and psychosocial correlates of cancer risk information avoidance preference in a nationally representative sample. We also examined whether avoidance of cancer risk information corresponds with avoidance of cancer screening.
resultsBased on our representative sample, 39% of the population indicated that they agreed or strongly agreed that they would "rather not know [their] chance of getting cancer." This preference was stronger among older participants, female participants, and participants with lower levels of education. Preferring to avoid cancer risk information was stronger among participants who agreed with the beliefs that everything causes cancer, that there's not much one can do to prevent cancer, and that there are too many recommendations to follow. Finally, the preference to avoid cancer risk information was associated with lower levels of screening for colon cancer.
conclusionThese findings suggest that cancer risk information avoidance is a multi-determined phenomenon that is associated with demographic characteristics and psychosocial individual differences and also relates to engagement in cancer screening.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.