Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: May 26, 2023
Date Accepted: Apr 25, 2024
Examining the Role of Information Behavior in Linking Cancer Risk Perception and Cancer Worry to Cancer Fatalism in China: Cross-Sectional Survey Study
ABSTRACT
Background:
Reducing cancer fatalism is essential because of its detrimental impact on cancer-related preventive behaviors. However, limited is known about factors influencing individuals’ cancer fatalism.
Objective:
With a general basis of the extended parallel process model, this study aims to examine how distinct cancer-related mental cognitions (risk perception and worry) and different information behaviors (information seeking vs. avoidance) become associated with cancer fatalism, with an additional assessment of the moderating effect of information usefulness.
Methods:
Data were drawn from the Health Information National Trends Survey in China, conducted in 2017 (N = 2,358). Structural equation modeling and bootstrapping methods were performed to test a moderated mediation model and hypothesized relationships.
Results:
The results showed that cancer risk perception and cancer worry were positively associated with online health information seeking. In addition, cancer worry was positively related to cancer information avoidance. Moreover, online health information seeking was found to reduce cancer fatalism, while cancer information avoidance was positively associated with cancer fatalism. The results also indicated that perceived usefulness of cancer information moderated this dual-mediation pathway.
Conclusions:
The national survey data indicate that cancer mental cognitions should not be treated as homogenous entities given their varying functions and effects. Apart from disseminating useful cancer information to encourage individuals to adaptively cope with cancer threats, we call for health communication programs to minimize cancer information avoidance to allay fatalistic beliefs about cancer prevention.
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