The amount of cancer-related information available to the general population continues to grow, yet its effects are unclear. This study extends previous cross-sectional research establishing that cancer information seeking across a variety of sources is extensive and positively associated with engaging in health-related behaviors. We studied how active information seeking about cancer prevention influenced three healthy lifestyle behaviors using a two-round nationally representative sample of adults ages 40–70 (n=1795), using propensity scoring to control for potential confounders including baseline behavior. The adjusted odds of dieting at follow-up were 1.51 [95% CI: 1.05 to 2.19] times higher for those who reported baseline seeking from media and interpersonal sources relative to non-seekers. Baseline seekers ate 0.59 [95% CI: 0.28, 0.91] more fruits/vegetable servings per day and exercised 0.36 [95% CI: 0.12 to 0.60] more days per week at one-year follow-up compared to non-seekers. The effects of seeking from media and friends/family on eating fruits/vegetables and exercising were independent of seeking from physicians. We offer several explanations for why information seeking predicts healthy lifestyle behaviors: information obtained motivates these behaviors; information sought teaches specific techniques; the act of information seeking may reinforce a psychological commitment to dieting, eating fruits/vegetables, and exercising.

The article presents a narrative review of scholarship on social support through social networking sites (SNSs) published from 2004 to 2015. By searching keywords related to social support and SNSs in major databases for social sciences, we identified and content analyzed directly relevant articles (N = 88). The article summarizes the prevalence of theory usage; the function of theory usage (e.g., testing a theory, developing a theory); major theories referenced; and methodologies, including research designs, measurement, and the roles of social support and SNS examined in this literature. It also reports four themes identified across the studies, indicating the trends in the current research. Based on the review, the article presents a discussion about study sites, conceptualization of social support, theoretical coherence, the role of social networks, and the dynamic relationships between SNS use and social support, which points out potential avenues for shaping a future research agenda.

Objective: Examine how patient-clinician information engagement (PCIE) may operate through feeling informed to influence patients' treatment decision satisfaction (TDS). Methods:Randomly drawn sample (N=2013) from Pennsylvania Cancer Registry, comprised of breast, prostate and colon cancer patients completed mail surveys in Fall of 2006 (response rate = 64%) and Fall of 2007. Of 2013 baseline respondents, 85% agreed to participate in follow-up survey (N=1703). Of those who agreed, 76% (N=1293) completed follow-up surveys. The sample was split between males and females. The majority of participants were White, over the age of 50, married, and with a high school degree. Most reported having been diagnosed with in situ and local cancer.Results: PCIE was related to concurrent TDS (β=.06) and feeling informed (β=.15), after confounder adjustments. A mediation analysis was consistent with PCIE affecting TDS through feeling informed. Baseline PCIE predicted feeling informed (β=.04) measured one year later, after adjustments for baseline feeling informed and other confounders. Feeling informed was related to concurrent TDS (β=.35) after confounder adjustment and follow-up TDS (β=.13) after baseline TDS and confounder adjustment. Conclusion: Results suggest PCIE affects TDS in part through patients' feeling informed.Practice Implications: PCIE may be important in determining patients' level of feeling informed and TDS. Corresponding author at: Annenberg School for Communication, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA. lmartinez@asc.upenn.edu.. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. NIH Public Access BackgroundWe know that many newly-diagnosed cancer patients are heavily involved with information gathering both from their physicians and from other sources [1,2]. We also know that treatment satisfaction is related to treatment adherence and good health outcomes [3]. However, we do not know whether and how information gathering from and exchanged with physicians is related to treatment satisfaction. Are those who are highly engaged in patientphysician communication more likely to be satisfied with their treatment decision because they feel well informed? Or are they less likely to be satisfied because their information engagement with information from their physician raises uncertainties or undermines their confidence in their treating physicians?Patient satisfaction with health care services is associated with improved health outcomes and is a predictor of important health behaviors, such as adherence with prescribed treatment plans and regimens [4][5][6]. More specifically,...

Previous research suggests positive effects of health information seeking on prevention behaviors such as diet, exercise and fruit and vegetable consumption among the general population. The current study builds upon this research by examining the effect of cancer patients’ active information seeking from media and (non-medical) interpersonal sources on fruit and vegetable consumption. The results of this longitudinal study are based on data collected from a randomly drawn sample from the Pennsylvania Cancer Registry, comprising breast, prostate and colorectal cancer patients who completed mail surveys in the Fall of 2006 and 2007. There was a 65% response rate for baseline subjects (resulting N=2013); of those 1293 were interviewed one year later and 845 were available for final analyses. We used multiple imputation to replace missing data and propensity scoring to adjust for effects of possible confounders. There is a positive effect of information seeking at baseline on fruit and vegetable servings at follow-up; seekers consumed 0.43 (95% CI: 0.28 to 0.58) daily servings more than non-seekers adjusting for baseline consumption and other confounders. Active information seeking from media and interpersonal sources may lead to improved nutrition among the cancer patient population.

The current study examined conversations on Twitter related to use and perceptions of e-cigarettes in the United States. We employed the Social Media Analytic and Research Testbed (SMART) dashboard, which was used to identify and download (via a public API) e-cigarette-related geocoded tweets. E-cigarette-related tweets were collected continuously using customized geo-targeted Twitter APIs. A total of 193,051 tweets were collected between October 2015 and February 2016. Of these tweets, a random sample of 973 geocoded tweets were selected and manually coded for information regarding source, context, and message characteristics. Our findings reveal that although over half of tweets were positive, a sizeable portion was negative or neutral. We also found that, among those tweets mentioning a stigma of e-cigarettes, most confirmed that a stigma does exist. Conversely, among tweets mentioning the harmfulness of e-cigarettes, most denied that e-cigarettes were a health hazard. These results suggest that current efforts have left the public with ambiguity regarding the potential dangers of e-cigarettes. Consequently, it is critical to communicate the public health stance on this issue to inform the public and provide counterarguments to the positive sentiments presently dominating conversations about e-cigarettes on social media. The lack of awareness and need to voice a public health position on e-cigarettes represents a vital opportunity to continue winning gains for tobacco control and prevention efforts through health communication interventions targeting e-cigarettes.