The Relationship Between Health Literacy, Cancer Prevention Beliefs, and Cancer Prevention Behaviors

Abstract

While cancer prevention behaviors have been clearly defined, many people do not engage in these risk-reduction behaviors. Factors such as cancer prevention beliefs and limited health literacy may undermine cancer prevention behavior recommendations. This study explored the relationships between cancer prevention beliefs, health literacy, and cancer prevention behaviors. Data were analyzed from the 2013 Health Information National Trends Survey (n = 1675). Regression analyses for four cancer prevention belief (prevention is not possible, cancer is fatal, there are too many recommendations for prevention, everything causes cancer) statements were modeled, including health literacy and sociodemographic variables as predictors. In addition, separate regression analyses predicted four cancer prevention behaviors (fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, cigarette smoking) from cancer prevention beliefs, health literacy, and sociodemographic variables. Participants with low health literacy were more likely to hold fatalistic cancer prevention beliefs than those with higher health literacy. Cancer prevention beliefs were related to less fruit and vegetable consumption, fewer days of physical activity, and with being a nonsmoker after controlling for sociodemographic variables. Health literacy was not a significant predictor of cancer prevention behaviors. Given the relationship between health literacy and cancer prevention beliefs, research is needed to ascertain how to empower patients with low health literacy to have a more realistic understanding of cancer.

Social and Demographic Patterns of Health-Related Internet Use Among Adults in the United States: A Secondary Data Analysis of the Health Information National Trends Survey

“…Consistent with prior studies, participants with lower levels of education were less likely to report use of the internet to communicate with healthcare providers, search for health-related information, and use of social media or online blogs/support groups [ 24 , 54 ]. A potential mechanism explaining the association between education and internet use is the role of health and numeric literacy, which has been well documented in previous studies [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 ]. Lower levels of household income were also associated with lower likelihood of internet use to communicate with healthcare providers and searching for health information for others.…”

Cancer-Related Risk Perceptions and Beliefs in Texas: Findings from a 2018 Population-Level Survey

“…9). Individuals who hold such fatalistic beliefs are more likely to have lower levels of engagement in preventive behaviors and have greater preference for avoidance of cancer risk information (9,17,21). Moreover, a cancer diagnosis is frequently linked with belief in inevitable death ("when I think about cancer, I automatically think about death") and this can create barriers to healthcareseeking behaviors as individuals with low self-efficacy attempt to delay confronting such threats (22).…”

Health Literacy Influences Men's Active and Passive Cancer Information Seeking

“…In the health literacy concept model, as well as access, perception and use of cancer information also differ with health literacy level (Best et al, 2018; Shim, Kelly & Hornik, 2006; Smith, Trevena, Nutbeam, Barratt, & McCaffery, 2008). A study from the U.S. using Health Information National Trends data found that people with low health literacy were more likely to hold fatalistic cancer prevention beliefs (Fleary, Paasche-Orlow, Joseph, & Freund, 2018). This in turn could inhibit men with inadequate health literacy from seeking or acquiring any cancer information; however, more research is required.…”