Media Exposure, Cancer Beliefs, and Cancer-Related Information-Seeking or Avoidance Behavior Patterns in China

Rui He and Yungeng Li
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Rui He: Department of Journalism, School of Humanities, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, 100 Wudong RD, Yangpu District, Shanghai 200433, China
Yungeng Li: School of Media and Communication, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan RD, Minhang District, Shanghai 200240, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-22

Abstract: This study explored the relationships between media exposure, cancer beliefs, and cancer information-seeking or information-avoidance behaviors. Based on the planned risk information-seeking model and its extended framework, two predictive models were constructed: one for cancer information seeking and the other for cancer information avoidance. A structural equation modeling strategy was applied to survey data from China HINTS 2017 ( n = 3090) to compare the impact of traditional mass media and social media exposure to cancer-related information on cancer information-seeking and information-avoidance behaviors. The study findings suggest that health-related information exposure through different media channels may generate distinctive information-seeking or information-avoidance behaviors based on various cancer beliefs. Additionally, the findings indicate that social media exposure to health-related and cancer curability beliefs does not lead to cancer information avoidance; both mass media and social media exposure encourage people to seek cancer-related information. Cancer fatalism is positively associated with cancer information-seeking and avoiding intentions, suggesting that negative cancer beliefs predict seemingly contradictory yet psychologically coherent information intentions and behaviors.

Keywords: mass and social media exposure; cancer fatalism; cancer curability; cancer-related information seeking; cancer-related information avoidance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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