Abstract 5057: The role of health locus of control and self-efficacy beliefs in sunscreen use: Evidence from 2012 Health Information National Trends Survey

Abstract

Abstract Sun exposure has been identified as a cause of skin cancer (Armstrong & Kricker, 2001). Extensive empirical evidence shows that sunscreen use was associated with lower skin cancer incidence (Green et al., 1999, 2011). However, only 32% U.S. adults used sunscreen regularly (NCI, 2010); the percentage was even lower (21.7%) among adolescents (Eaton et al., 2012). To reduce skin cancer burden, sunscreen use promotion should be enhanced. Locus of control, the extent to which people believe they have control over their lives with external and internal dimensions (Rotter, 1954), is a significant predictor of behavioral changes (Bundek et al., 1993). Internal locus of control, i.e., beliefs that reinforcements are dependent upon one's own behavior, is positively related with behavioral changes, e.g., weight loss (O'Bryan, 1972) and health information seeking (Wallston & Maides, 1976), etc. Self-efficacy, the extent to which one believes to be capable of performing the recommended behavior (Bandura, 1977), is a robust predictor for behavioral changes including smoking cessation (Norman, 1994) and AIDS prevention (Yzer, 1998), etc. However, little research focuses on the role of locus of control and self-efficacy in promoting sunscreen use by using nationally representative cross-sectional data. The present study bridges this gap by examining the following two hypotheses: H1: People with high external locus of control were less likely to use sunscreen. H2: People with high health self-efficacy were more likely to use sunscreen. Results show that people high in external locus of control were less likely to use sunscreen (B=-0.160, p=0.001) and people high in health self-efficacy were more likely to use sunscreen (B= 0.331, p=0.046), both of which were statistically significant. Males, Pacific Islanders, homemakers, and non-immigrants were more likely to use sunscreen. The findings attest to the necessity of enhancing people's internal locus of control and self-efficacy with the purpose of promoting sunscreen use. Public health efforts could be allocated based on the socio-demographic findings. Citation Format: Xiaofei He. The role of health locus of control and self-efficacy beliefs in sunscreen use: Evidence from 2012 Health Information National Trends Survey. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 5057. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-5057