ArticleBMC public health2016
The impact of body vigilance on help-seeking for cancer 'alarm' symptoms: a community-based survey.
Article in BMC public health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Examination of the psychometric properties of Arabic version of the Body Vigilance Scale.PloS one · 2025Article
- Impact of Self-Reported Long-Term Mental Health Morbidity on Help-Seeking and Diagnostic Testing for Bowel-Related Cancer Symptoms: A Vignette Study.Cancer medicine · 2024Article
- The bodily threat monitoring scale: Development and preliminary validation in adult and childhood cancer survivors.Psycho-oncology · 2023Article
- Optimizing the implementation of lung cancer screening in Scotland: Focus group participant perspectives in the LUNGSCOT study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2022Article
- Socioeconomic differences in help seeking for colorectal cancer symptoms during COVID-19: a UK-wide qualitative interview study.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2022Article
- Shifting between roles of a customer and a seller - patients' experiences of the encounter with primary care physicians when suspicions of cancer exist.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2021Article
- Article
- Self-Care Behaviors of Ovarian Cancer Patients Before Their Diagnosis: Proof-of-Concept Study.JMIR cancer · 2019Article
- Do comorbidities influence help-seeking for cancer alarm symptoms? A population-based survey in England.Journal of public health (Oxford, England) · 2018Article
- Symptom Signatures and Diagnostic Timeliness in Cancer Patients: A Review of Current Evidence.Neoplasia (New York, N.Y.) · 2018Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundThe act of detecting bodily changes is a pre-requisite for subsequent responses to symptoms, such as seeking medical help. This is the first study to explore associations between self-reported body vigilance and help-seeking in a community sample currently experiencing cancer 'alarm' symptoms.
methodsUsing a cross-sectional study design, a 'health survey' was mailed through primary care practices to 4913 UK adults (age ≥50 years, no cancer diagnosis), asking about symptom experiences and medical help-seeking over the previous three months. Body vigilance, cancer worry and current illness were assessed with a small number of self-report items derived from existing measures.
resultsThe response rate was 42% (N = 2042). Almost half the respondents (936/2042; 46%) experienced at least one cancer alarm symptom. Results from logistic regression analysis revealed that paying more attention to bodily changes was significantly associated with help-seeking for cancer symptoms (OR = 1.44; 1.06-1.97), after controlling for socio-demographics, current illness and cancer worry. Being more sensitive to bodily changes was not significantly associated with help-seeking.
conclusionsRespondents who paid attention to their bodily changes were more likely to seek help for their symptoms. Although the use of a cross-sectional study design and the limited assessment of key variables preclude any firm conclusions, encouraging people to be body vigilant may contribute towards earlier cancer diagnosis. More needs to be understood about the impact this might have on cancer-related anxiety.
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