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Minimal social network effects evident in cancer screening behavior
Nancy L Keating1, A James O'Malley, Joanne M Murabito
1Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. keating@hcp.med.harvard.edu
Cancer
|January 26, 2011
Summary
Cancer screening behaviors are minimally influenced by social networks. While women with screened sisters showed slightly increased breast cancer screening, and spouses’ screening influenced colorectal cancer screening, friends and coworkers had no impact.
Area of Science:
- Social epidemiology
- Public health
- Cancer prevention
Background:
- Social networks can impact health behaviors, including cancer screening.
- This study investigated the influence of social ties on cancer screening practices.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if screening behaviors of siblings, friends, spouses, and coworkers influence an individual's likelihood of undergoing breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer screening.
- To analyze the association between social network screening behaviors and personal screening decisions.
Main Methods:
- An observational study utilized Framingham Heart Study data from the late 1990s.
- Logistic regression analysis assessed the influence of peers' screening on individual screening probability, adjusting for confounders.
- Specific analyses examined mammography, prostate-specific antigen testing, and colorectal cancer screening.
Main Results:
- Mammography screening was associated with a higher proportion of sisters being screened (OR, 1.034).
- Colorectal cancer screening was associated with having a spouse who was screened (OR, 1.65).
- Screening behaviors of friends and coworkers, and prostate cancer screening, showed no significant association with personal screening.
Conclusions:
- Social influence on cancer screening is limited, primarily observed between sisters for breast cancer and spouses for colorectal cancer.
- The screening behaviors of friends and coworkers generally do not impact an individual's decision to undergo cancer screening.
- Targeted interventions focusing on close family ties may be more effective for promoting cancer screening.
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