scholarly journals Beliefs and Information Seeking in Patients With Cancer in Southwest China: Survey Study

JMIR Cancer ◽  
10.2196/16138 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e16138
Author(s):  
Juan Xie ◽  
Shi Xie ◽  
Ying Cheng ◽  
Zhe He

Background Although previous studies have reported the cancer information-seeking behaviors among patients in high-income countries, the cancer information-seeking practices of patients living in low- and middle-income areas are less known. Objective This study investigated the beliefs and information-seeking patterns of cancer patients in southwest China. Methods A questionnaire was designed, and data were collected in two hospitals (N=285) in southwest China. Statistical analyses included bivariate analyses and regressions. Results Patients’ attitudes towards cancer fatalism were significantly influenced by marital status (P<.001), education (P<.001), and household income (P<.001). Moreover, endorsing fatalistic belief was positively associated with age (r=0.35, P<.001). The regression model showed that younger patients (odds ratio [OR] 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99) and those with higher education (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.09-2.81) were more likely to seek information. Additionally, patients who were less confident in getting information were more likely to find information (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.15-2.52), while fatalism belief was not significant in the regression (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.22-1.95). Conclusions This study explored the information-seeking patterns of cancer patients in southwest China. It was found that many Chinese people endorsed cancer fatalism. These pessimistic beliefs about the potential to prevent and to cure cancer correlate with rather than cause cancer-related information seeking. However, self-efficacy about the confidence in finding needed cancer information was a significant predictor of information-seeking.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Xie ◽  
Shi Xie ◽  
Ying Cheng ◽  
Zhe He

BACKGROUND Although previous studies have reported the cancer information-seeking behaviors among patients in high-income countries, the cancer information-seeking practices of patients living in low- and middle-income areas are less known. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the beliefs and information-seeking patterns of cancer patients in southwest China. METHODS A questionnaire was designed, and data were collected in two hospitals (N=285) in southwest China. Statistical analyses included bivariate analyses and regressions. RESULTS Patients’ attitudes towards cancer fatalism were significantly influenced by marital status (<i>P</i>&lt;.001), education (<i>P</i>&lt;.001), and household income (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). Moreover, endorsing fatalistic belief was positively associated with age (r=0.35, <i>P</i>&lt;.001). The regression model showed that younger patients (odds ratio [OR] 0.96, 95% CI 0.93-0.99) and those with higher education (OR 1.75, 95% CI 1.09-2.81) were more likely to seek information. Additionally, patients who were less confident in getting information were more likely to find information (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.15-2.52), while fatalism belief was not significant in the regression (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.22-1.95). CONCLUSIONS This study explored the information-seeking patterns of cancer patients in southwest China. It was found that many Chinese people endorsed cancer fatalism. These pessimistic beliefs about the potential to prevent and to cure cancer correlate with rather than cause cancer-related information seeking. However, self-efficacy about the confidence in finding needed cancer information was a significant predictor of information-seeking.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (8) ◽  
pp. 806-817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chul-joo Lee ◽  
A. Susana Ramírez ◽  
Nehama Lewis ◽  
Stacy W. Gray ◽  
Robert C. Hornik

Author(s):  
Rui He ◽  
Yungeng Li

This study explored the relationships between media exposure, cancer beliefs, and cancer information-seeking or information-avoidance behaviors. Based on the planned risk information-seeking model and its extended framework, two predictive models were constructed: one for cancer information seeking and the other for cancer information avoidance. A structural equation modeling strategy was applied to survey data from China HINTS 2017 (n = 3090) to compare the impact of traditional mass media and social media exposure to cancer-related information on cancer information-seeking and information-avoidance behaviors. The study findings suggest that health-related information exposure through different media channels may generate distinctive information-seeking or information-avoidance behaviors based on various cancer beliefs. Additionally, the findings indicate that social media exposure to health-related and cancer curability beliefs does not lead to cancer information avoidance; both mass media and social media exposure encourage people to seek cancer-related information. Cancer fatalism is positively associated with cancer information-seeking and avoiding intentions, suggesting that negative cancer beliefs predict seemingly contradictory yet psychologically coherent information intentions and behaviors.


2009 ◽  
Vol 15 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 16-29
Author(s):  
Jiali Ye ◽  
Zhiheng Xu ◽  
Bamidele Adesunloye

Information seeking has significant impact on improving cancer preventive activities and health decision making. This study sought to compare Black and White adults on cancer information seeking and the choice of primary information sources. Non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adults completed Health Information National Trends Surveys (HINTS) collected in 2003 and in 2005. The results of bivariate analyses showed that Whites were more likely than Blacks to be cancer information seekers for both years (2003: 49.0% vs. 40.8%, p < .001; 2005: 54.6% vs. 46.9%, p = .008). However, after controlling for sociodemographic variables, race was not significantly associated with cancer information seeking. Both racial groups increased their likelihood of cancer information seeking from 2003 to 2005, although the increase was only statistically significant for Whites ( p < .001). Health providers and the Internet were the top two most selected primary cancer information sources for both racial groups. These findings indicate that sociodemographic factors, such as gender, education, and cancer history, may shape the racial difference in health information seeking among the general population. Among all the information sources, health care providers and the Internet play the most important role in providing cancer-related information.


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