TY - JOUR
T1 - Using an Internet-Based Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool to Improve Social-Cognitive Precursors of Physical Activity
AU - Fowler, Stephanie L.
AU - Klein, William M.P.
AU - Ball, Linda
AU - McGuire, Jaclyn
AU - Colditz, Graham A.
AU - Waters, Erika A.
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by funding from the Barnes Jewish Hospital Foundation, NIH Grant R01CA190391 (PI: EAW), the Washington University Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences, Grant UL1 TR000448 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2017.
PY - 2017/8/1
Y1 - 2017/8/1
N2 - Background. Internet-based cancer risk assessment tools might serve as a strategy for translating epidemiological risk prediction research into public health practice. Understanding how such tools affect key social-cognitive precursors of behavior change is crucial for leveraging their potential into effective interventions. Purpose. To test the effects of a publicly available, Internet-based, breast cancer risk assessment tool on social-cognitive precursors of physical activity. Methods. Women (N = 132) aged 40-78 with no personal cancer history indicated their perceived risk of breast cancer and were randomly assigned to receive personalized (www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu) or nonpersonalized breast cancer risk information. Immediately thereafter, breast cancer risk perceptions and physical activity-related behavioral intentions, self-efficacy, and response efficacy were assessed. Results. Personalized information elicited higher intentions, self-efficacy, and response efficacy than nonpersonalized information, P values < 0.05. Self-efficacy and response efficacy mediated the effect of personalizing information on intentions. Women who received personalized information corrected their inaccurate risk perceptions to some extent, P values < 0.05, but few fully accepted the information. Conclusion. Internet-based risk assessment tools can produce beneficial effects on important social-cognitive precursors of behavior change, but lingering skepticism, possibly due to defensive processing, needs to be addressed before the effects can be maximized.
AB - Background. Internet-based cancer risk assessment tools might serve as a strategy for translating epidemiological risk prediction research into public health practice. Understanding how such tools affect key social-cognitive precursors of behavior change is crucial for leveraging their potential into effective interventions. Purpose. To test the effects of a publicly available, Internet-based, breast cancer risk assessment tool on social-cognitive precursors of physical activity. Methods. Women (N = 132) aged 40-78 with no personal cancer history indicated their perceived risk of breast cancer and were randomly assigned to receive personalized (www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu) or nonpersonalized breast cancer risk information. Immediately thereafter, breast cancer risk perceptions and physical activity-related behavioral intentions, self-efficacy, and response efficacy were assessed. Results. Personalized information elicited higher intentions, self-efficacy, and response efficacy than nonpersonalized information, P values < 0.05. Self-efficacy and response efficacy mediated the effect of personalizing information on intentions. Women who received personalized information corrected their inaccurate risk perceptions to some extent, P values < 0.05, but few fully accepted the information. Conclusion. Internet-based risk assessment tools can produce beneficial effects on important social-cognitive precursors of behavior change, but lingering skepticism, possibly due to defensive processing, needs to be addressed before the effects can be maximized.
KW - cancer
KW - health cognitions
KW - health communication
KW - risk perception
KW - risk prediction
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021897223&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0272989X17699835
DO - 10.1177/0272989X17699835
M3 - Article
C2 - 28363033
AN - SCOPUS:85021897223
SN - 0272-989X
VL - 37
SP - 657
EP - 669
JO - Medical Decision Making
JF - Medical Decision Making
IS - 6
ER -