Back to Search
Start Over
'There's a before and an after': effects of a personal history of cancer on perception of cancer risks and adoption of behaviours.
- Source :
- Health, Risk & Society; Aug/Sep2019, Vol. 21 Issue 5/6, p246-267, 22p, 2 Charts
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- In this article, we aim to better understand how a personal history of cancer influences perceptions of environmental risk factors for cancers and adoptions of health-related behaviours. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted with French individuals with (n = 21) and without (n = 16) a personal history of cancer using the same topic guide. Interviews were transcribed, coded and analysed using a comparative approach. Our participants with and without a history of cancer tended to perceive the same environmental factors as causes of cancers, in particular pesticides and smoking. However, individuals without a history of cancer emphasised electromagnetic waves and sun exposure as causes of cancers while participants with a history of cancer emphasised unbalanced diet and stress/negative emotions. Our participants with a history of cancer tended to mention more factors than participants without. Finally, participants with a personal history of cancer all described themselves as adopting at least one behaviour mentioned as 'healthier', often following their cancer experience, while very few participants without a history of cancer mentioned adopting these behaviours. Participants with a history of cancer tended to be more concerned about environmental risk factors for cancers and about preventing cancers through adopting risk-reducing health-related behaviours than participants without a history of cancer. Our findings are consistent with and develop the idea that a personal experience of cancer can alter an individual's 'experience and life world'. We also observed similarities between individuals with and without a personal history of cancer. Our contextual findings need to be confirmed by further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 13698575
- Volume :
- 21
- Issue :
- 5/6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Health, Risk & Society
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 138830308
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2019.1652729