Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

The purpose of this study is to explore college students' breast and testicular cancer self-examination beliefs and practices using constructs of the Health Belief Model. Over a 1.6 million Americans are diagnosed each year with cancer. With that, over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer while nearly 8,000 men will develop testicular cancer. If cancer is diagnosed and treated in the early stages, it will greatly increase the chance of survival and quality of life. One of the easiest methods to discover cancer early is to perform self-examinations. Self-examinations are safe, quick, private, and do not require a visit to the doctor. This study will explain reasons why some college students perform breast (for women) and testicular (for men) self-examinations while others choose not to perform self-examinations. A survey of 386 (202 female and 184 male) college students was conducted at a midsize university located in the Midwest. Participants were asked to complete Champion's Health Belief Model Scale. In addition, participants were asked to complete two open-ended survey questions regarding their self-examinations beliefs and behaviors. Overall, 129 (34%) participants performed self-examinations. Of those 129, females were more likely to perform self-examinations than males. In addition, females were also more likely to be taught how to perform self-examinations. Participants were more likely to perform self-examinations if felt susceptible to developing cancer and if they felt comfortable in their ability to properly perform one. Finally, participants were also more likely to perform self-examinations if they were given a cue to action (i.e. their doctor told them to or a relative had cancer). The significance of the data will help educators and health care professionals develop health programming to address the barriers that keep college students from performing self-examinations. In particular, there needs to be tailored programming for males because they are more susceptible to developing testicular cancer during their college years than any other time in their lives. Finally, a social marketing campaign could be an easy intervention to reach the masses. A Social marketing campaign would be a beneficial way to raise awareness, educate students on cancer in college, and show the simple steps in performing self-examinations.

Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 117 pages. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT Current ACS guidelines recommend routine screening for cancer (ACS, 2002). Motivation to adhere to guidelines may be different for individuals with and without a family history of melanoma (Jonna, et al., 1998). Prior research examining the relationship between family history and skin cancer detection behaviors (Berwick et al., 1996; Friedman et al., 1993; Oliveria et al., 1999) have failed to utilize a theoretical framework to derive hypotheses. The purpose of the present study was to examine the utility of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) in explaining intentions to engage in skin cancer screening (SCS) and skin self-examination (SSE). In addition, the present study explored whether PMT variables explained the relationship between having a family history of melanoma and SCS/SSE intentions. / ABSTRACT: The research design was cross-sectional with 101 participants in the positive family history group and 80 participants in the negative family history group. Using a standardized, self-report measure, participants were assessed on demographic characteristics, melanoma risk factors, PMT variables, family history, and SCS/SSE behaviors and intentions. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, chi square for categorical variables, t-tests for continuous variables, correlational analyses, and multiple regression analyses. The majority of participants (N = 181) were Caucasian (97%) and female (59%). As expected, findings indicated that greater perceived vulnerability, self-efficacy, and response efficacy were associated with greater SCS intentions (p greater or less than .0001). Additionally, greater self-efficacy and response efficacy were associated with greater SSE intention (p greater or less than .01). / ABSTRACT: Additionally, positive family history individuals reported greater perceived vulnerability, greater self-efficacy, and less perceived severity than negative family history individuals (p greater or less than .01). Individuals with a family history of melanoma also had greater SCS intentions and were more likely to have a healthcare provider who recommended SCS. Finally, perceived vulnerability and self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between group status and SCS intentions. The present study confirms and extends prior research on psychological factors associated with SCS/SSE intentions and on individuals with a family history of melanoma. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.