• Develop a comprehensive "blueprint," or description of the cancer-related risk perception construct; to use it to generate a cancer-related risk perception item pool; conduct an analysis of the generated items [ Time Frame: 3 years ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  

The goal of the study is to develop and provide initial evidence for the reliability and validity of a measure of cancer-related risk perception. Given that tobacco use is the paramount cancer risk factor, we will use smokers' conceptions of their cancer risk as a basis for the initial development of the measure. First, we will generate a cancer-related risk perception item pool based on a review of the literature, and interviews with ethnically diverse smokers. Second, we will conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses of the items through focus groups and survey responses (N=200). Third, we will recruit an additional sample of 300 Adelphi University participants to confirm the factor structure of the cancer risk belief scale. The development of a cancer-related risk perception scale would allow for more accurate assessment of the impact of cancer risk information, and more precise testing of risk perception as a mediator of behavior change. It would also provide a basis for standardized comparison of risk perceptions across a variety of cancer sites with diverse populations. In addition, we will extend our work to a multi-ethnic primary care population at the Queens Hospital Center (QHC).