Fatalistic cancer beliefs and self-reported cancer screening behaviors among diverse urban residents

AbstractCancer fatalism –the belief that death is inevitable when cancer is present–has been identified as a barrier to cancer screening, detection, and treatment. Our study examined the relationship between self-reported cancer fatalism and adherence to cancer screening guidelines of the breasts, cervix, colon, and pr ostate among a diverse sample of urban-dwelling adults in Brooklyn, New York. Between May 2019 and August 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults 40 + years of age (n = 2,341) residing in Brooklyn neighborhoods with high cancer mortality. Multivariable logistic regression model s were used to assess the odds of reporting cancer screening completion across three fatalistic cancer belief categories (low, med, high). Participants’ median age was 61 (IQR 51, 71) years, 61% were women, 49% self-identified as non-Hispanic black, 11% Hispanic, 4% Asian, and 6% more than one rac e. There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of low, some, or high fatalistic beliefs identified among male respondents compared to women. Among women, we observed that high fatalistic cancer beliefs were associated with higher odds (OR 2.01; 95% CI 1.10–3.65) of comple ting breast but not cervical (1.04; CI 0.55–1.99) or colon (1.54; CI 0.88–2.69) cancer screening. Men with high fatalistic cancer beliefs had a trend towards lower odds of prostate screening (OR 0.53: 95% CI 0.18–1.57) compared to men with low fatalistic beliefs, bu...
Source: Journal of Behavioral Medicine - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research