Trumbo Craig W, McComas Katherine A, Kannaovakun Prathana
Department of Journalism and Technical Information, Clark C-225, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1785, USA.
Risk Anal. 2007 Apr;27(2):337-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2007.00886.x.
Cancer is a significant public health topic and is frequently a factor in public reactions to environmental hazards. It may be reasonable to suggest that a unique form of health anxiety exists - one specific to cancer. In this article, we explore a measure of cancer anxiety that has applicability to risk perception in the specific context of communities that are alarmed over suspect cancer rates thought to be associated with environmental hazards. A literature search was used to identify survey questions previously used to measure cancer worry, fear, anxiety, etc. A list of 24 items was employed in a mail survey sent to 30 communities in which cancer rates were under investigation (part of a broader study). An analysis of the dataset of 1,111 responses yields two versions of a cancer anxiety scale: one an additive combination of 21 items (alpha= 0.77) and the other a two-factor model consisting of nine- and four-item subscales (alpha= 0.74 and 0.69). The resulting scales are evaluated for their ability to predict perception of risk from the environmental hazards in these cases. Controlling for age, sex, and cancer status, the scales explain between 2% and 10% of risk perception (full R(2) values ranging from 0.17 to 0.24). Given the range of concepts required to model risk perception, we conclude that this measure of cancer anxiety is sufficiently reliable and robust to be recommended for use in circumstances involving hazards associated with cancer. Other uses and further development of the measure are discussed.
癌症是一个重要的公共卫生话题，并且常常是公众对环境危害做出反应的一个因素。可以合理地认为存在一种独特的健康焦虑形式——一种特定于癌症的焦虑。在本文中，我们探讨一种癌症焦虑度量方法，它适用于在因认为与环境危害相关的可疑癌症发病率而感到恐慌的社区这一特定背景下的风险认知。通过文献检索来确定先前用于测量癌症担忧、恐惧、焦虑等的调查问题。在一项邮寄调查中使用了一份包含24个条目的列表，该调查发送给了30个正在调查癌症发病率的社区（这是一项更广泛研究的一部分）。对1111份回复的数据集进行分析得出了癌症焦虑量表的两个版本：一个是21个条目的累加组合（α = 0.77），另一个是由9个条目和4个条目子量表组成的双因素模型（α = 0.74和0.69）。对所得量表预测这些案例中环境危害风险认知的能力进行了评估。在控制了年龄、性别和癌症状况后，这些量表解释了2%至10%的风险认知（全R²值范围从0.17至0.24）。鉴于为风险认知建模所需的概念范围，我们得出结论，这种癌症焦虑度量方法足够可靠且稳健，可推荐用于涉及与癌症相关危害的情况。还讨论了该度量方法的其他用途和进一步发展。
