ArticlePsycho-oncology2024
Socio-Economic Inequalities in Beliefs About Cancer and its Causes: Evidence From two Population Surveys.
Article in Psycho-oncology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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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
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Optimising the European Code Against Cancer, 5th edition, to increase awareness of avoidable cancer risks in all socioeconomic groups.Molecular oncology · 2026Trial
- Review
- Cancer prevention literacy in Europe: a cross-sectional study.European journal of public health · 2026Article
- Effect of social stressors and social determinants of health (SDOH) on cancer beliefs: Analysis of a cancer center catchment area.Journal of psychosocial oncology · 2026Article
- Family Disclosure of a Cancer Diagnosis to Patients.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Real-world experience with family beliefs and organizational and communication management in Colombian parents of children with leukemia: a qualitative study.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectivePeople's beliefs about cancer can affect the actions they take to prevent and detect the disease. We investigated socio-economic inequalities in beliefs about cancer and its causes in the general population.
methodsWe analyzed data from the representative probabilistic Spanish Oncobarometer survey (N = 4769, 2020) and the non-probabilistic weight-corrected Spanish Cancer Awareness Survey (N = 1029, 2022). Beliefs about cancer, recognition of cancer symptoms, and recognition of risk factors were measured with the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer questionnaire. Endorsement of mythical causes was measured with the CAM-Mythical Causes questionnaire. The effects of socio-economic status (SES) were investigated in multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and personal and family cancer history.
resultsIndividuals with lower SES were more likely to endorse pessimistic beliefs (e.g., "cancer is a death sentence"), and less likely to endorse optimistic beliefs about cancer (e.g., "people with cancer continue with normal activities"). Individuals with lower SES also recognized fewer cancer symptoms and risk factors and endorsed more mythical causes of cancer. The gap in knowledge regarding cancer causes was wider among people with low SES, who were more likely to endorse several mythical causes than some established risk factors included in cancer prevention recommendations.
conclusionsSocio-economic inequalities in beliefs about cancer are robust and multidimensional and indicate worse preparedness to act against the disease among lower socio-economic groups. Differences in beliefs about disease outcomes and causes are likely one of the multiple contributors to cancer disparities and should be targeted and monitored in prevention efforts.
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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.