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Manipulating perceptions of colorectal cancer threat: implications for screening intentions and behaviors.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Lipkus, IM; Green, LG; Marcus, A
Published in: Journal of health communication
May 2003

Affecting peoples' perceptions of the health threat of colorectal cancer (CRC), that is, the probability of the cancer's occurrence multiplied by the severity of the outcomes, has not been experimentally manipulated as a means to increase CRC screening intentions and behaviors. As an exploratory pilot study to inform a larger randomized trial on CRC screening, we used a four-group pre-post longitudinal design to test whether providing information about: 1) colorectal cancer risks (no/yes) and, 2) the severity of treatment and illness consequences (no/yes) affected CRC screening intentions (i.e., fecal occult blood test/sigmoidoscopy) and behaviors at a six-month follow-up. The sample consisted of 119 men and women aged 50 and older who were off schedule for having a fecal occult blood test (FOBT). Although perceptions of CRC risks were not affected by the experimental manipulations, perceived severity increased screening intentions for FOBT and lowered felt ambivalence towards FOBT. At the six-month follow-up, 31% participants had a FOBT. Participants who received severity information were significantly more likely to report having had a FOBT. These results suggest that: 1) more attention needs to be given to developing strategies to affect perception of CRC risk, and 2) increasing the perceived severity of CRC is an important construct to increase FOBT screening.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Journal of health communication

DOI

EISSN

1087-0415

ISSN

1081-0730

Publication Date

May 2003

Volume

8

Issue

3

Start / End Page

213 / 228

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Perception
  • Social Marketing
  • Sigmoidoscopy
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk Assessment
  • Public Health
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care
  • Occult Blood
  • North Carolina
  • Motivation
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Lipkus, I. M., Green, L. G., & Marcus, A. (2003). Manipulating perceptions of colorectal cancer threat: implications for screening intentions and behaviors. Journal of Health Communication, 8(3), 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730305684
Lipkus, Isaac M., Lasonya G. Green, and Alfred Marcus. “Manipulating perceptions of colorectal cancer threat: implications for screening intentions and behaviors.Journal of Health Communication 8, no. 3 (May 2003): 213–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730305684.
Lipkus IM, Green LG, Marcus A. Manipulating perceptions of colorectal cancer threat: implications for screening intentions and behaviors. Journal of health communication. 2003 May;8(3):213–28.
Lipkus, Isaac M., et al. “Manipulating perceptions of colorectal cancer threat: implications for screening intentions and behaviors.Journal of Health Communication, vol. 8, no. 3, May 2003, pp. 213–28. Epmc, doi:10.1080/10810730305684.
Lipkus IM, Green LG, Marcus A. Manipulating perceptions of colorectal cancer threat: implications for screening intentions and behaviors. Journal of health communication. 2003 May;8(3):213–228.

Published In

Journal of health communication

DOI

EISSN

1087-0415

ISSN

1081-0730

Publication Date

May 2003

Volume

8

Issue

3

Start / End Page

213 / 228

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Perception
  • Social Marketing
  • Sigmoidoscopy
  • Risk Factors
  • Risk Assessment
  • Public Health
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care
  • Occult Blood
  • North Carolina
  • Motivation