title: Fear of cancer is associated with cancer information seeking, scanning and avoiding: a cross-sectional study among cancer diagnosed and non-diagnosed individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nowadays, there is an abundance of health and cancer information in the mass media. Because of this high amount of information, it is possible for individuals to find or incidentally encounter cancer information, but it is also possible to be overloaded by this information and, consequently, to avoid it. Previous studies have indicated that fear of cancer could be both positively and negatively related to behaviours such as screening, help-seeking and information avoidance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were (1) to assess the relationship between fear of cancer and cancer information acquisition and avoiding behaviour, (2) to examine whether this relationship was curvilinear, and (3) to determine whether this relationship was moderated by being diagnosed with cancer or not.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and twenty-one cancer diagnosed and 1387 non-diagnosed individuals were recruited through a convenience sample in Flanders (Belgium) and filled in a standardised survey questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed a positive linear association between fear of cancer and information seeking, scanning and avoiding. Being diagnosed with cancer or not did not moderate this relationship.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fear of cancer is positively associated with cancer information acquisition and avoiding behaviour. This suggests that fear of cancer predicts different behaviours in different individuals.
authors: Faculty of Social Sciences, Leuven School for Mass Communication Research, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Nelissen
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Beullens
authors: Marijke
authors: M
authors: Lemal
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Van den Bulck
mesh_terms: D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D057226:Information Seeking Behavior; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: consumer health information; information seeking behaviour; questionnaires; surveys