1. Socioeconomic inequalities in attitudes towards cancer: an international cancer benchmarking partnership study
- Author
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Quaife, Samantha L., Winstanley, Kelly, Robb, Katie A., Simon, Alice E., Ramirez, Amanda J., Forbes, Lindsay J.L., Brain, Kate E., Gavin, Anna, and Wardle, Jane
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,Cancer Research ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,Internationality ,Epidemiology ,hope ,Research Papers: Epidemiology ,SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being ,Neoplasms ,cancer ,Humans ,Aged ,education ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Middle Aged ,United Kingdom ,Benchmarking ,Oncology ,Social Class ,Socioeconomic Factors ,attitude ,fear ,Female ,social class - Abstract
Socioeconomic status (SES) differences in attitudes towards cancer have been implicated in the differential screening uptake and the timeliness of symptomatic presentation. However, the predominant emphasis of this work has been on cancer fatalism, and many studies focus on specific community subgroups. This study aimed to assess SES differences in positive and negative attitudes towards cancer in UK adults. A population-based sample of UK adults (n=6965, age≥50 years) completed the Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer scale, including six belief items: three positively framed (e.g. 'Cancer can often be cured') and three negatively framed (e.g. 'A cancer diagnosis is a death sentence'). SES was indexed by education. Analyses controlled for sex, ethnicity, marital status, age, self-rated health, and cancer experience. There were few education-level differences for the positive statements, and overall agreement was high (all>90%). In contrast, there were strong differences for negative statements (all Ps
- Published
- 2015