Differences in cancer information-seeking behavior, preferences, and awareness between cancer survivors and healthy controls: a national, population-based survey.

Background: No research has examined how cancer diagnosis and treatment might alter information source preferences or opinions.

Methods: We examined data from 719 cancer survivors (CS group) and 2012 matched healthy controls (NCC group) regarding cancer-related information-seeking behavior, preferences, and awareness from the population-based 2003 Health Information National Trends Survey.

Results: The CS group reported greater consumption of cancer-related information, but the CS and NCC groups did not differ in information source use or preferences.

Beliefs about cancer causation and prevention as a function of personal and family history of cancer: a national, population-based study.

Objective: Research suggests individuals possess multifaceted cognitive representations of various diseases. These illness representations consist of various beliefs, including causal attributions for the disease, and are believed to motivate, guide, and shape health-related behavior. As little research has examined factors associated with beliefs about cancer causation, this study examined the relationship between personal and family history of cancer and beliefs about the causes and prevention of malignant disease.