Cancer beliefs, attitudes and preventive behaviours of nurses working in the community

A study of nurses, comprising district, school and practice nurses and health visitors, working in the community was carried out in 1992/1993. The aims of the research included exploration of the nurses' beliefs about and attitudes to cancer and their own cancer preventive behaviours. Focus group methodology was used, with 11 discussion groups, totalling 86 nurses. Data were analysed qualitatively and reported in relation to emergent themes. The nurses found cancer a terrifying disease, dreading a personal diagnosis and feeling ambivalent about treatment effectiveness. However, they were good role models for cancer prevention, eating a healthy diet, protecting themselves from the sun, attending regularly for cervical and breast screening, and the majority did not smoke.