What Should I Do Now? Impact on Self-Efficacy of Seeing Conflicting Medical Information Online

What Should I Do Now? Impact on Self-Efficacy of Seeing Conflicting Medical Information Online Public Deposited

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Abstract

Increasing numbers of contradictory reports fill online media with conflicting advice or recommendations for health information-seekers. Recent examples include the controversies over when and how often women should receive mammograms to screen for breast cancer and whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests are effective in screening for prostate cancer or might, in fact, cause unnecessary surgeries and chemotherapy. This thesis uses an experimental model to measure responses to such conflicting reports in order to determine whether such exposure decreases individual feelings of self-efficacy in regard to competency to prevent cancer morbidity and mortality.

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