Research on health information avoidance behavior and influencing factors of cancer patients—an empirical analysis based on structural equation modeling
2024

Understanding Why Cancer Patients Avoid Health Information

Sample size: 643 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Zhu Rui, Zhao Hui, Yun Yun, Zhao Yue, Wang Weixian, Wang Lingmeng, Hou Wenjie, Wang Fuzhi

Primary Institution: Bengbu Medical University

Hypothesis

What factors influence health information avoidance behaviors in cancer patients?

Conclusion

Sociodemographic factors and emotional states significantly influence cancer patients' health information avoidance behaviors.

Supporting Evidence

  • Sociodemographic factors like income and occupation influence health information avoidance.
  • Self-efficacy and negative emotions mediate the relationship between information overload and health information avoidance.
  • Patients with higher health information literacy are less likely to avoid health information.

Takeaway

Cancer patients sometimes avoid looking for health information because they feel overwhelmed or anxious. Things like their income and how long they've used smart devices can affect this behavior.

Methodology

Data was collected using a face-to-face electronic questionnaire and analyzed using chi-square tests and multivariate logistic regression.

Potential Biases

Potential recall bias due to the self-reported nature of the questionnaire.

Limitations

The study was limited to one city and primarily included middle-aged and elderly cancer patients, which may not represent all demographics.

Participant Demographics

Participants were primarily middle-aged and elderly cancer patients from Bengbu City, China.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/s12889-024-21113-4

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