Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19044
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
Publication type: Journal Article
Larson RJ, Woloshin S, Schwartz LM, Welch HG.
Celebrity endorsements of cancer screening.
J Natl Cancer Inst 2005 Feb 18; 97:(9):693-5
http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/97/9/693.long
Abstract:
Celebrities often promote cancer screening by relating personal anecdotes about their own diagnosis or that of a loved one. We used data obtained from a random-digit dialing survey conducted in the United States from December 2001 through July 2002 to examine the extent to which adults of screening age without a history of cancer had seen or heard or been influenced by celebrity endorsements of screening mammography, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy. The survey response rate was 72% among those known to be eligible and 51% among potentially eligible people accounting for those who could not be contacted. A total of 360 women aged 40 years or older and 140 men aged 50 years or older participated in the survey. Most respondents reported they “had seen or heard a celebrity talk about” mammography (73% of women aged 40 years or older), PSA testing (63% of men aged 50 years or older), or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy (52% of adults aged 50 years or older). At least one-fourth of respondents who had seen or heard a celebrity endorsement said that the endorsement made them more likely to undergo mammography (25%), PSA testing (31%), or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy (37%).
Keywords:
Adult
Breast Neoplasms/prevention & control
Colonoscopy
Colorectal Neoplasms/prevention & control
Famous Persons*
Female
Humans
Male
Mammography
Mass Screening*/psychology
Mass Screening*/statistics & numerical data
Middle Aged
Neoplasms/diagnosis
Neoplasms/prevention & control*
Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood
Prostatic Neoplasms/prevention & control
Sigmoidoscopy
United States
