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Perceptions of Cancer Controllability and Cancer Risk Knowledge: The Moderating Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Acculturation

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Abstract

Literature suggests racial/ethnic minorities, particularly those who are less-acculturated, have stronger fatalistic attitudes toward cancer than do non-Latino Whites. Knowledge of cancer prevention is also lower among racial/ethnic minorities. Moreover, low knowledge about cancer risk factors is often associated with fatalistic beliefs. Our study examined fatalism and cancer knowledge by race/ethnicity and explored whether race/ethnicity moderate the association of fatalism with knowledge of cancer prevention and risk factors. We analyzed data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (2008), a national probability survey, to calculate population estimates of the associations among race/ethnicity, fatalistic beliefs, and knowledge about cancer from multivariable logistic regression. Racial/ethnic minorities had higher odds of holding fatalistic beliefs and lower odds of having knowledge of cancer risk factors than non-Hispanic Whites, and important differences by acculturation among Latinos were observed. Limited evidence of the moderating effect of race/ethnicity on the relationship between fatalistic beliefs and cancer risk factor knowledge was observed. Knowledge of cancer risk factors is low among all race/ethnicities, while fatalistic beliefs about cancer are higher among racial/ethnic minorities compared with non-Hispanic Whites. Implications for cancer education efforts are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This project has been funded in part with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, under contract No. HHSN261200800001E. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Blvd. Suite 4051A, MSC 7150, Rockville, MD, 20892-7105, USA

    A. Susana Ramírez, Bryan Leyva Vengoechea, Richard P. Moser & Bradford W. Hesse

  2. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 20892, USA

    Lila J. Finney Rutten

  3. Clinical Research Program Directorate/CMRP, SAIC-Frederick, Inc., Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, Maryland, 21702, USA

    April Oh

  4. University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, KY, 40506, USA

    Robin C. Vanderpool

Authors
  1. A. Susana Ramírez
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  2. Lila J. Finney Rutten
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  3. April Oh
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  4. Bryan Leyva Vengoechea
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  5. Richard P. Moser
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  6. Robin C. Vanderpool
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  7. Bradford W. Hesse
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Correspondence to A. Susana Ramírez.

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Ramírez, A.S., Rutten, L.J.F., Oh, A. et al. Perceptions of Cancer Controllability and Cancer Risk Knowledge: The Moderating Role of Race, Ethnicity, and Acculturation. J Canc Educ 28, 254–261 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0450-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-013-0450-8

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