German High School Students' Attitudes and Interest in Cancer and Factors Influencing Proactive Behaviour for Cancer Prevention

Cancer diseases are pertinent topics to young people, who are confronted with the issue through media or family members that suffer from these diseases. Based on a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, we investigated German high school students' (N = 369, 16-18 years old) interest in and their attitudes towards cancer. Attitude was assessed measuring multiple dimensions that included scales to measure several components: the cognitive (beliefs about the controllability of cancer), the affective (emotional responses towards cancer) and the behavioural (intention for proactive behaviour towards cancer) components. A student assessment of carcinogenic risk factor was executed. Our results suggest that students' willingness to deal with the topic cancer (e.g. to communicate about cancer or to reconsider their lifestyle) is highly dependent on their interest, their emotional responses and their beliefs about the controllability of cancer. Their assessment of carcinogenic risk factors does not have a direct influence on their intentions to behave proactively against cancer but might have an indirect influence on their beliefs about the controllability of cancer. Based on these results, we have drawn teaching implications and discussed which factors should be included in teaching processes in order to stimulate proactive behaviour related to cancer prevention.