Investigating the effects of cancer risk and efficacy perceptions on cancer prevention adherence and intentions.

This study examined the interaction between comparative cancer risk and efficacy perceptions on individuals' adherence for colon, prostate, and breast cancer screenings, intentions to get these screenings in the future, and intentions to adopt health lifestyle behaviors in the next year. A national probability sample of 2,226 adults ages 40 to 70 was surveyed. Overall, a positive interaction effect was found between comparative risk and efficacy on several outcomes. There were some methodological limitations worth noting, but the findings do have implications for health campaigns, particularly the need to increase efficacy beliefs about reducing cancer risks within the general population.