Accurate and inaccurate beliefs about cancer risk factors among Spanish-preferring adults in the United States

Abstract

Objective: To characterize inaccurate and accurate beliefs about cancer risk factors held among Spanish-preferring adults in the United States. Methods: From a national probability panel, we surveyed 196 Hispanic adults who prefer completing questionnaires in Spanish. We also used data from a representative sample of 1200 adults in the US to compare belief acceptance. Results: Many less accepted accurate beliefs about cancer risk factors related to topics like fruit/vegetable consumption, weight loss, and alcohol use. Several inaccurate beliefs were widely held, with some being more accepted in the Spanish-preferring sample than the general US adult sample. Higher levels of self-reported media literacy and information scanning associated with more acceptance of both accurate and inaccurate beliefs. Access to the internet at home associated with discernment between accurate and inaccurate beliefs about cancer risk factors. Conclusion: Acceptance of accurate beliefs and rejection of inaccurate beliefs varied across potential cancer risk factors. Future Spanish-language public health messaging should address these belief inconsistencies when providing up-to-date cancer-related recommendations or correcting inaccurate information in the public communication environment. Innovation: Our study provides comprehensive information about cancer beliefs among Spanish-preferring adults in the United States, which was not previously available, and find that media literacy is a concept likely to be important to consider when putting together intervention tools to combat misinformation.

Keywords

• Cancer risk
• Spanish
• Health misinformation
• Cancer knowledge
• Cancer misperceptions