Endorsement of COVID-19 related misinformation among cancer survivors.
Jeanine P D Guidry, Kellie E Carlyle, Carrie A Miller and 4 others
PMID 34030928WHAT IT FOUND
Cancer survivors in active treatment endorsed more COVID-19 misinformation than adults without cancer; survivors not in treatment endorsed less.
Men endorsed more, and older adults endorsed less. Patients in treatment may need extra misinformation counseling.
Key findings
01Compared with adults without cancer, cancer survivors in active treatment endorsed more COVID-19 misinformation, while survivors not in treatment endorsed less.
02Male participants were more likely to endorse COVID-19 misinformation, and older participants were less likely to endorse it than younger participants.
03Education, race, and perceived stress from COVID-19 were not significantly associated with misinformation endorsement.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was a convenience sample, so it may not represent all cancer survivors or adults without cancer. The design was cross-sectional, so it cannot show that cancer treatment caused higher misinformation endorsement. Cancer diagnosis and treatment status were self-reported, with limited disease and treatment details. Racial and ethnic diversity was lower in the cancer groups than in the no-cancer group. The study measured self-reported endorsement of misinformation statements, not actual health behaviour, clinical outcomes, or the effect of counseling.
Declared interests
The work was supported by the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or manuscript preparation. The authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the group differences as proof that active cancer treatment causes misinformation or that cancer status tells you what an individual patient believes. The study was a cross-sectional survey of self-reported beliefs and did not test behaviour, clinical outcomes, or the effect of counseling.