Education differences in cancer fatalism: the role of information seeking experiences

Abstract

Background. Cancer fatalism is the belief that cancer is uncontrollable and lethal. Previous research suggests that individuals with less education are more likely to hold fatalistic beliefs about cancer, but the mechanism accounting for the relationship between education and cancer fatalism is not well understood. Methods. Representative samples of the US population from three cycles of the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) were used to examine whether individuals with less education have more fatalistic beliefs about cancer due to negative health information seeking-experiences. Structural equation modeling was used to test this model in the three samples. Findings. The three models showed good fit to the data (SRMR Model 1= .028; SRMR Model 2= 044; SRMR Model 3= .031). Across all datasets, the link between lower education level and higher cancer fatalism was partially mediated by negative health information-seeking experiences. Discussion. Health information seeking experiences consistently explained the relationship between education and cancer fatalism. This is relevant, since unlike education, information seeking experiences is a potentially modifiable factor that may be targeted in future interventions addressing fatalistic beliefs about cancer.