Nonmedical information seeking amid conflicting health information: negative and positive effects on prostate cancer screening

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of seeking information about the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test on men's PSA test use during a period of conflicting recommendations. Analyses used longitudinal survey data collected in 2005 and 2006 from a nationally representative sample of U.S. males aged 40 to 70 (n=777). Cross-sectionally, non-medical seeking was significantly associated with increased odds of having a PSA test in the past year (Time 1 OR=9.74, p < .01, 95% CI=4.37, 21.70; Time 2 OR=5.78, p < .01, 95% CI=3.17, 10.55). However, lagged analyses showed that, among men who had a PSA at Time 1, active seeking is associated with reduced odds of later having a PSA test (OR=0.33, p < .05, 95% CI=0.13, 0.85). Participants who had not had a PSA test in the past year very rarely sought information about PSA tests. Information acquisition in an environment of conflicting recommendations may influence adoption of cancer screening behaviors.

Men's information‐seeking behavior regarding cancer risk and screening: A meta‐narrative systematic review

“…Men were predominantly active information‐seekers in 6 studies: 2 qualitative and 1 quantitative longitudinal study assessing information‐seeking for prostate cancer screening, 1 cross‐sectional and 1 qualitative study on general cancer information‐seeking, and 1 qualitative study on information‐seeking for skin cancer prevention …”

“…It was found that women were more likely than men to seek information on skin cancer prevention by using the Internet (36.1% for men vs 24.7% for women; P = .004). Other than the Internet, 11% of participants in the longitudinal study by Gibson et al actively sought PSA testing information from nonmedical sources, including family, friends, and co‐workers . Hicks et al also found that men's social networks were identified as important sources of information, while the participants in the study by Biddle et al actively sought PSA testing information from “medical journals, newspapers, television, media, chat rooms, and medical brochures” (p.6) as well as their family, friends, and men who had similar experiences …”

“…Barriers to information‐seeking regarding prostate cancer screening and PSA testing were addressed in 8 qualitative, 1 quantitative, and 1 mixed‐methods study . Barriers involved: information format and quantity (print and radio advertisements that are either lacking in or flooded with information “information overload”), information content (trigger words such as “research program” and “research subjects”), lack of trust in the information offered by the media, and anxiety and fear…”

Source-specific Exposure to Contradictory Nutrition Information: Documenting Prevalence and Effects on Adverse Cognitive and Behavioral Outcomes

“…Researchers have identified contradictory information about topics such as climate change (Nisbet, Hart, Myers, & Ellithorpe, 2013), cancer (Clarke & Everest, 2006; Smith, Kromm, & Klassen, 2010), and nutrition (Houn et al, 1995; Nagler, 2014) in the media. Both quantitative and qualitative studies have found that people perceive conflict about these and other topics (Carpenter, Elstad, Blalock, & DeVellis, 2014; Vardeman & Aldoory, 2008), which may drive them to seek more information (Weeks, Friedenberg, Southwell, & Slater, 2012) and influence their behavior decisions (Gibson et al, 2015). Yet few studies have explicitly assessed media exposure to contradictory information (Nagler, 2014; Nagler & Hornik, 2012; Tan, Lee, & Bigman, 2015), and research examining the effects of such exposure is limited (Chang, 2013, 2015; Dixon & Clarke, 2012; Jensen & Hurley, 2012; Nan & Daily, 2015).…”

Talking About Your Prostate: Perspectives from Providers and Community Members

“…During our forum, AA community members expressed concerns about differing opinions they received from different PCPs. Conflicting recommendations from PCPs combined with confusing PrCA screening information available in the media [25] can lead to difficulty in making decisions regarding screening. Decision aids and education are shown to help AA men evaluate different opinions from PCPs based on their own condition, values, preferences, and goals [26].…”