Illness beliefs about cancer among healthy adults who have and have not lived with cancer patients.

Background: Illness representations have been proposed as key determinants for facing health risks and managing disease, and consequently for health outcomes.

Purpose: This study aims to know and compare non-specialised illness representations of cancer among adults who had not suffered from cancer and who had/had not lived with cancer patients.

Method: The revised Illness Perception Questionnaire was adapted to assess illness perceptions among healthy people.