Table 2.
Multivariate Associationsa Between Cancer Type and Respondents' Health Beliefs, Health Information National Trends Survey, 2005
| Type of Cancer | No. of Respondents | No. of Behaviors Listed, Mean (95% CI) | Respondents' Health Beliefs, % (95% CI) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| |||||||
| Total Prevention | Primary Preventionb | Secondary Preventionc | Disagree: Not Much You Can Do to Lower Chances | Agree: Behavior Causes Cancer | Agree: Screening Leads to Early Detection | ||
| Colon | 1,978 | 1.34 (1.26-1.42) | 0.95 (0.89-1.01) | 0.39 (0.35-0.43) | 79 (75-83) | 48 (44-52) | 90 (88-92) |
| Lung | 1,872 | 1.71 (1.65-1.77) | 1.67 (1.61-1.73) | 0.04 (0.02-0.06) | 82 (80-84) | 83 (81-85) | 87 (85-89) |
| Skin | 1,736 | 2.11 (2.05-2.17) | 2.03 (1.97-2.09) | 0.07 (0.05-0.09) | 85 (83-87) | 71 (67-75) | 88 (86-90) |
Abbreviation: CI, confidence interval.
Multivariate analyses controlled for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, and cancer history.
Primary prevention behaviors were the following: For colon cancer, "don't drink alcohol," "don't smoke," "eat fiber," "eat fruits and vegetables," "eat healthy/better nutrition," and "exercise." For lung cancer, "avoid asbestos," "avoid polluted air," "don't smoke/quit smoking," "eat healthy," "exercise," and "stay away from secondhand smoke." For skin cancer, "do not use tanning beds/tanning salons," "stay out of the sun," "wear protective hat/clothing," and "wear sunscreen."
Secondary prevention behaviors for all 3 cancers were "get screened for cancer/get tested" and "have regular checkups."