Search:

Cancer Control Research

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description) This proposal will test whether physicians' personal health practices help predict their counseling behaviors. If this is true, it could have considerable clinical ramifications, as it may be possible to improve the health of entire patient populations by improving physicians' personal health practices. Data from the Women Physicians' Health Study, a national study of a stratified random sample of 4,501 women physicians, will be used in this proposal. The study will answer questions regarding four cancer-related practices: (1) diet; (2) cigarette smoking; (3) mammography and breast self examination/clinical examination; and (4) sunscreen use. For each cancer-related question the study will determine: (1) prevalence of physicians' personal habits regarding this behavior; (3) the relationship between their personal and patient counseling practices, and (4) important confounders of that relationship. Specifically, the study will explore: (1) What are women physicians' personal dietary practices, and how does that relate to their likelihood to counsel patients about nutrition? Hypothesis: Women physicians have good personal dietary habits (fat, fruit and vegetable intake), and those with particularly good diets are more likely to counsel patients regarding nutrition. (2) What are women physicians' personal and family histories of cigarette smoking, including their environment tobacco smoke exposure, and what are important correlates of physicians' smoking cessation counseling? Hypothesis: Physicians' have very low personal and somewhat lower family histories of cigarette smoking. Hypothesis: Current personal smoking decreases their likelihood and having smoking family members increases physicians' likelihood of smoking cessation counseling. (3) What are women physicians' personal mammography and breast self examination habits, and do they affect their likelihood to discuss mammography or to perform a clinical breast examination on patients? Hypothesis: Physicians performing more frequent breast self examination and receiving more frequent mammography are more likely to discuss mammography with or perform a clinical breast examination on patients. Hypothesis: Physicians' receiving mammographies in excess of recommended levels (e.g., young physicians without family histories of breast cancer having had mammograms) are especially likely to suggest mammography to patients. (4) How frequently do physicians use sunscreen or obtain a clinical skin examination for cancer, and does this affect their likelihood to perform skin cancer prevention and screening? Hypothesis: Physicians use sunscreen inconsistently, and that those who are more frequent sunscreen users and utilizers of clinical skin examinations are more likely to counsel their patients regarding prevention of, and to perform screening for skin cancer.