title: Information seeking from media and family/friends increases the likelihood of engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors.
abstract: The amount of cancer-related information available to the general population continues to grow; yet, its effects are unclear. This study extends previous cross-sectional research establishing that cancer information seeking across a variety of sources is extensive and positively associated with engaging in health-related behaviors. The authors studied how active information seeking about cancer prevention influenced three healthy lifestyle behaviors using a 2-round nationally representative sample of adults ages 40-70 years (n = 1,795), using propensity scoring to control for potential confounders including baseline behavior. The adjusted odds of dieting at follow-up were 1.51 (95% CI: 1.05, 2.19) times higher for those who reported baseline seeking from media and interpersonal sources relative to nonseekers. Baseline seekers ate 0.59 (95% CI: 0.28, 0.91) more fruits and vegetable servings per day and exercised 0.36 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.60) more days per week at 1-year follow-up compared with nonseekers. The effects of seeking from media and friends/family on eating fruits and vegetables and exercising were independent of seeking from physicians. The authors offer several explanations for why information seeking predicts healthy lifestyle behaviors: information obtained motivates these behaviors; information sought teaches specific techniques; and the act of information seeking may reinforce a psychological commitment to dieting, eating fruits and vegetables, and exercising.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program, National Cancer Institute, 6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 4051A, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. a.susana.ramirez@gmail.com
authors.forename: A Susana
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: Derek
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Freres
authors.forename: Lourdes S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.forename: Nehama
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bourgoin
authors.forename: Bridget J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Chul-Joo
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Rebekah
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagler
authors.forename: J Sanford
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.forename: Robert C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Hornik
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015444:Exercise / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D033062:Friends; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008402:Mass Media / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D014675:Vegetables