Smoking Avoidance, Physical Activity and Diet as Preventative Behaviours for Lung, Prostate and Colorectal Cancer - A Comparison of the Extended Parallel Process Model Groups.

Abstract

Objectives: An analysis of men's perceptions of the role of three health behaviours (smoking avoidance, physical activity, and diet) in relation to the subjective threat of lung, prostate, and colorectal cancers, with adoption of the Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM).

Methods: The study was conducted using a survey questionnaire by Computer Assisted Web Interviewing on a representative sample of 1,000 male Polish citizens aged 18-65.

Results: Prostate cancer was considered the most likely and most severe type of cancer. A healthy diet was the intervention that was considered the most effective and the one most likely to be implemented for colorectal cancer. Respondents perceived smoking avoidance to be the most effective intervention, while considering this to be the least feasible strategy to implement for lung cancer. In all of the behaviours, the Indifferent group was the most numerous. Belonging to the EPPM groups was mainly associated with educational level, financial situation, and self-assessed health status.

Conclusion: The need to implement interventions aimed at: increase the perceived risk of smoking in the context of lung cancer incidence, increase men's self-efficacy in smoking avoidance and reduce the level of perceived losses from undertaking a healthy diet and smoking avoidance.