Health Literacy Influences Men's Active and Passive Cancer Information Seeking

For cancer prevention information to be effective, it must be accessible to its target populations. Prevalence of inadequate health literacy (HL) is high, but there is a dearth of information on the impact of HL on men's cancer information seeking. We investigated (1) men's cancer informat...

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Published inHealth literacy research and practice Vol. 3; no. 3; pp. e147 - e160
Main Authors Drummond, Frances J, Reidy, Mary, von Wagner, Christian, Livingstone, Vicki, Drennan, Jonathan, Murphy, Mike, Fowler, Colin, Saab, Mohamad M, O'Mahony, Mairin, Hegarty, Josephine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States SLACK INCORPORATED 01.07.2019
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Summary:For cancer prevention information to be effective, it must be accessible to its target populations. Prevalence of inadequate health literacy (HL) is high, but there is a dearth of information on the impact of HL on men's cancer information seeking. We investigated (1) men's cancer information seeking behaviors, (2) the effect of HL on men's cancer information seeking behavior, and (3) men's preferences for cancer information, considering their HL level. From a national perspective, we investigated men's information seeking behavior from the Irish Cancer Society (ICS), the largest provider of cancer information in Ireland. Men from adult literacy classes and men's groups were invited to complete a questionnaire. General and ICS-specific cancer information seeking behavior was investigated. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were conducted with "ever" seeking cancer information from any source, and actively seeking and passively acquiring ICS information as dependent variables. Overall, 259 men completed the questionnaire and 44% had inadequate HL. About one-half of responders reported "ever" actively looking for cancer information. In the study group, 19% actively sought and 67% passively acquired ICS-specific information. In multivariate analysis, the odds of actively seeking (2.93; 95% CI [1.05, 8.15]) or passively acquiring (4.7; 95% CI [1.99, 11.05]) ICS-specific cancer information was significantly higher among those with adequate versus inadequate HL, respectively. HL was not significantly associated with odds of "ever" cancer information seeking in multivariate analysis (odds ratio 1.81; 95% CI [0.90, 3.63]). Men want information about cancer prevention. Suggested future cancer information sources differed by HL levels. General practitioners and the Internet were the preferred source for men with inadequate (53.3%) and adequate HL (57%), respectively. Men both passively acquire and actively seek cancer prevention information. Multimodal dissemination of cancer prevention information is necessary to reach a wide cross-section of men, including those with inadequate HL. This could potentially lower men's cancer burden and reduce gender inequalities in cancer mortality. . Most men get cancer prevention information by coming across it passively in their daily lives, instead of actively looking for this information. Men with low health literacy are less likely to obtain cancer information both passively and actively. Men want this information. Organizations need to make this information available in many places and formats (e.g., Internet, doctor, television, sports clubs).
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Grant: This study was undertaken as part of the Mens' Cancer Prevention and Health Literacy study, which was funded by the Irish Cancer Society grant (HEA16DRU).
Frances J. Drummond, PhD, is a Senior Research Fellow, Cork Cancer Research Centre, University College Cork. Mary Reidy, PhD, is a Research Lead, Waterford Institute of Technology. Christian von Wagner, PhD, is a Reader in Behavioural Science in Health, Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, University College London. Vicki Livingstone, PhD, is a Statistician, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork. Jonathan Drennan, PhD, is a Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork. Mike Murphy, PhD, is a Lecturer, Applied Psychology, University College Cork. Colin Fowler, BA is the Director of Operations, Men's Health Forum in Ireland. Mohamad M. Saab, PhD, is a Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork. Mairin O'Mahony, PhD, is a Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork. Josephine Hegarty, PhD, is a Professor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University College Cork.
Disclaimer: This article was prepared at the request of the corresponding author's employer and is within the scope of the author's employer (Cork Cancer Research Centre, University College Cork).
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial relationships to disclose.
ISSN:2474-8307
2475-6024
2474-8307
DOI:10.3928/24748307-20190430-01