A study looking at how people over the age of 50 understand cancer and cancer risk from the media

Please note - this trial is no longer recruiting patients. We hope to add results when they are available.

Cancer type:

Bowel (colorectal) cancer

Breast cancer

Lung cancer

Prostate cancer

Status:

Closed

Phase:

Other

This study is looking at what people over 50 think about the way the media presents stories about cancer and the risk of cancer. This study is supported by Cancer Research UK.

More about this trial

Research has shown that the media can shape people’s understanding and behaviour of health according to what news they report and how they report it. This study is looking at the way the media presents news about 4 common cancers, lung, breast, bowel and prostate cancer. The researchers want to use the news stories in discussions with older people to see whether they affect their understanding of cancer, their own risk of getting a cancer and seeking help for symptoms.

The researchers hope the findings from the discussions can be used to develop health education messages suitable for older adults and encourage more people to seek help promptly when they have symptoms.

Who can enter

This study is for people over the age of 50 who live in central Scotland. Some people in the study will have had either lung, prostate, breast or bowel cancer but you do not have to have had cancer to take part.

Trial design

The researchers need around 40 people to take part. They plan to have up to 12 groups to discuss the impact of the media on understanding cancer risk and seeking help. 4 of the groups will be for people who have had lung, prostate, breast or bowel cancer. The groups will be lead by trained researchers and will take between 1 to 2 hours. You will be asked your views on how the media report cancer stories. These interviews will be recorded so the researchers can concentrate on the discussion.