Predictors of Cancer Risk Perception: Do Generational Differences and Emotion Matter?

• In Event: Framing Health Risk: Environment, Cancer, Genetics

Abstract

Drawing on the Social Amplification of Risk Framework (SARF), this research investigated whether individual amplification stations (such as emotion, cancer information seeking, family cancer history, and fatalistic belief) and social amplification stations (such as social media use, gender, education, ethnicity, and different generations) amplify or attenuate cancer risk perception among general population. Using the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) data, analyses suggest that happiness, family cancer history, fatalistic beliefs, education, and different generations were significantly predicted for cancer risk perception. The implications regarding the contribution to the literature of emotion on health communication, health community, and health message designs were discussed.

Authors

• Yen-I Lee, University of Georgia

• Jeong Yeob Han, U of Georgia