Key Beliefs Research Articles

Lay Beliefs About the Accuracy and Value of Cancer Screening

Appreciating the accuracy and value of cancer screening is essential to informed decision making about screening. This study's objectives were to (1) examine people's beliefs about the accuracy and value of cancer screening, and (2) determine whether sociodemographics, cancer beliefs, and shared decision making are associated with these beliefs. Data from the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (cycle 4, August-November 2014) were used. Respondents were non-institutionalized adults (aged ≥18 years, n=3,677). Weighted generalized linear modeling was used to examine bivariate and multivariate associations between key covariates and beliefs about cancer screening (assessed by four-item scale and independently). Secondary analyses examined whether these beliefs were associated with self-reported cancer screening. Data were analyzed between 2016 and 2017. Only 5.6% (n=189) of respondents answered all four cancer screening items correctly. Men, racial/ethnic minorities, and those with lower education and higher cancer fatalism were less likely to have accurate beliefs about cancer screening. However, those who reported shared decision making for colorectal cancer screening were more likely to know that "when a test finds something abnormal, more tests are needed to know if it is cancer" and "when a test finds something abnormal, it is [not] very likely to be cancer" (adjusted risk ratio=1.13, p<0.01, adjusted risk ratio=1.25, p<0.01). Beliefs were not associated with likelihood of past mammography or Pap testing. Educators, researchers, and clinicians should consider opportunities (e.g., through shared decision making) to improve the accuracy of individuals' beliefs about cancer screening.

The epistemic innocence of clinical memory distortions.

In some neuropsychological disorders, distorted reports seem to fill gaps in people's memory of their past, where people's self‐image, history, and prospects are often enhanced. False beliefs about the past compromise both people's capacity to construct a reliable autobiography and their trustworthiness as communicators. However, such beliefs contribute to people's sense of competence and self‐confidence, increasing psychological well‐being. Here, we consider both the psychological benefits and epistemic costs and argue that distorting the past is likely to also have epistemic benefits that cannot be obtained otherwise, such as enabling people to exchange information, receive feedback, and retain key beliefs about themselves.

Perceived behavioral control as a potential precursor of walking three times a week: Patient's perspectives.

BackgroundBehavior change theories can identify people’s main motivations to engage in recommended health practices and thus provide better tools to design interventions, particularly human centered design interventions.ObjectivesThis study had two objectives: (a) to identify salient beliefs about walking three times a week for 30 minutes nonstop among patients with hypertension in a low-resource setting and, (b) to measure the relationships among intentions, attitudes, perceived social pressure and perceived behavioral control about this behavior.MethodsFace-to-face interviews with 34 people living with hypertension were conducted in September-October 2011 in Lima, Peru, and data analysis was performed in 2015. The Reasoned Action Approach was used to study the people’s decisions to walk. We elicited people’s salient beliefs and measured the theoretical constructs associated with this behavior.ResultsResults pointed at salient key behavioral, normative and control beliefs. In particular, perceived behavioral control appeared as an important determinant of walking and a small set of control beliefs were identified as potential targets of health communication campaigns, including (not) having someone to walk with, having work or responsibilities, or having no time.ConclusionsThis theory-based study with a focus on end-users provides elements to inform the design of an intervention that would motivate people living with hypertension to walk on a regular basis in low-resource settings.

The influence of on-farm advice on beliefs and motivations for Swiss lowland farmers to implement ecological compensation areas on their farms

ABSTRACTPurpose: Farmers hold a key to reaching biodiversity targets, but will only carry out this service to society if they are sufficiently motivated to do so. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of on-farm advice as a tool for motivating farmers to take action to preserve or even to enhance biodiversity on their farms.Design/methodology/approach: To address this aim, we surveyed 133 farmers (response rate 43.9%), of whom 23 had received on-farm advice about farmland biodiversity conservation over a period of six years.Findings: The results showed that key beliefs and motivations were positively influenced by farmer advisory services. Farmers who had received advice agreed significantly more strongly in the compatibility of biodiversity conservation and production; that biodiversity is important; and that nature conservation on farms is appreciated by society.Practical Implications: These results allow the conclusion that on-farm biodiversity advice might be a useful way of positively influencing the beliefs and enhancing motivations of farmers to contribute to biodiversity conservation on their farms.Theoretical implications: Although several papers have examined the influence of agricultural extension on farmer behaviour, the results of this study contribute to explaining some of the contradictions in the literature about the effectiveness of advisory services. Furthermore, this study addresses [Batary, P., L. V. Dicks, D. Kleijn, and W. J. Sutherland. 2015. “The Role of Agri-Environment Schemes in Conservation and Environmental Management.” Conservation Biology 29: 1006–1016.] challenge that there has been insufficient research on the link between farmer advice and the effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes.Originality/value: This paper is among the first to address these research gaps and is the first to examine the influence of advice on farmer conservation behaviour in the Swiss context.

Shiʿi Islam and Sufism by Denis Hermann and Mathieu Terrier

Reviewed by: Shiʿi Islam and Sufism by Denis Hermann and Mathieu Terrier Brian Welter Shiʿi Islam and Sufism, by Denis Hermann and Mathieu Terrier, 2020. London: I.B. Tauris, xviii + 369 pp, £22.49. isbn: 978-0755 60 2308. This collection of essays traces the fascinating history and varied expressions of Sufism within Shi'i Islam. Shi'i Islam itself follows a range of practices across many regions. The book's authors mostly focus on the late Middle Ages to the present, with frequent references to the roots of both Shi'i Islam and Sufism in the earliest years of Islam. While much of this development centres on Persia from the Safavid period onwards, groups in modern-day Pakistan, India, Turkey, and the Arab world also contributed to Shi'i Sufi orders. Related political, social, and cultural realities are repeatedly discussed, whereas the religious dimension of Sufism within Shi'i Islam is not fully covered because key Sufi practices and beliefs are not for the general public. The main point of the various essays is that Shi'i Islam and Sufism did not always enjoy fruitful or cordial relations, though Shi'i Sufism grew notably in Iran and elsewhere during the period under consideration. Part One, "Alternatives to Anti-Sufi Discourse in Pre-Modern and Modern Shi'i Literature," centres the discussion on the religious reforms of Safavid Iran (1502-1722). Hermann and Terrier in their Introduction show that Sufi relationships with Shi'i Islam and the Safavids varied greatly, with initial "violent hostility towards Sufism, whose charismatic leaders were regarded as rivals and represented a potential threat" (8). Like the other authors in Shi'i Islam and Sufism, Hermann and Terrier highlight nuance: "Henceforth, 'Sufi policy' within the realm would oscillate between repression and accommodation, depending on how inclined the various Sufi groups were to recognise the spiritual and temporal authority of the Shāh" (8). Such attention to nuance--to changing or unstable religious, political, and cultural landscapes--is a strength of the book. No easy generalisations are offered, and readers will [End Page 251] come to see that both Shi'ism and Sufism were integral parts of a much larger and very dynamic picture. Political and Sufi leaders, growing Shi'i religious practices and beliefs, and expansion of Sufi brotherhoods all exerted influence on each other. Part of the flux, as we see in Terrier's Chapter 1, "The Defence of Sufism among Twelver Shiʿi Scholars of Early Modern and Modern Times," was that Shi'i scholars could not decide whether to accept Sufism as part and parcel of their beliefs, or reject it "for being a 'condemnable innovation'" (27). An individual's answer to this question depended on whether, for example, one followed "the tradition of reconciliation" between Shi'ism and Sufism (28). However, individuals such as ʿAli al-Karaki (d. 1534) rejected mystical and philosophical forms of Shi'ism, which led to a rejection of Sufism. Readers get the feeling that the Shi'a-Sufi relationship was never solidified either in the direction of total acceptance nor total rejection. Terrier evaluates four "ecumenist" works from the period, including that of Sayyid Haydar Amuli, who advocated reconciliation. Part Two, "The Social History of a Shiʿi Sufi Brotherhood: The Niʿmat Allāhiya," provides a fascinating historical, cultural, and social account of the religious beliefs and practices, as well as the expansion of, a significant Sufi Shi'i order. Speziale's discussion of "the Shi'itisation of the Niʿmat Allāhī branch of Hyderabad" in chapter four gives readers a clear idea of how Shi'i beliefs and practices influenced Sunni religious life in Persia in the Safavid period, though the chapter also traces the order's spread into India's Deccan plateau. The Safavid influence was all-encompassing: "If the Safavid ... attitude towards Sufism, which was most often adverse, did not determine the disappearance of the order in Iran, however, it did lead to its adaptation to the new political and social context and to the redefinition of the religious and spiritual authority of the masters' order in Iran" (158). Hyderabad's Islamic community, unlike Safavid Iran, was majority Sunni, but...

Gateway illusion or cultural cognition confusion?

In this paper, we respond to the critiques presented by [Kahan, 2017]. Contrary to claims that the scientific consensus message did not significantly influence the key mediator and outcome variables in our model, we show that the experiment in [van der Linden et al., 2015] did in fact directly influence key beliefs about climate change. We also clarify that the Gateway Belief Model (GBM) is theoretically well-specified, empirically sound, and as hypothesized, the consensus message exerts a significant indirect influence on support for public action through the mediating variables. We support our conclusions with a large-scale replication.

The potential for inoculation messages and postinoculation talk to minimize the social impact of politically motivated acts of violence

The objective was to test whether precrisis inoculation‐stimulated conversations can positively impact key beliefs vital to the prosperity of a nation following an act of terrorism. The experiment introduced a precrisis inoculation message about the Department of Homeland Security prior to a simulated crisis portraying the downing of an aircraft. Results affirmed: that, compared to individuals in the control condition, inoculated individuals were less likely to believe that past failures of acts of terrorism resulted from terrorist incompetence; inoculated individuals indicated greater belief that the politically motivated acts of violence will not limit their future opportunities; and that interpersonal talk about such acts and the government's ability to effectively handle them were inversely associated with the likelihood of postponing air travel.

Caregivers' beliefs about library visits: A theory-based study of formative research

Currently, no research has systematically investigated the beliefs underpinning caregivers' intentions to visit public libraries with their young children. Drawing from the theory of planned behaviour, this study adopted a three-phase program of formative research to examine the decision making processes of parents and carers with young children living in a low socio-economic area. Phase 1 identified seven behavioural, five normative, and ten control beliefs as modal salient beliefs held by parents and carers. Phase 2 identified a variety of key behavioural, normative, and control beliefs as significant predictors of intention to visit the library with their young child. Phase 3 elicited the reasons underpinning these key beliefs guiding parents' and carers' intentions, identifying 34 reasons that could be used in messages to promote library visits. The results provide useful information that intervention designers, councils, and library services can use to encourage library use among parents and carers with young children.

A randomized controlled trial of a brief online intervention to reduce alcohol consumption in new university students: Combining self-affirmation, theory of planned behaviour messages, and implementation intentions.

Excessive alcohol consumption increases when students enter university. This study tests whether combining (1) messages that target key beliefs from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) that underlie binge drinking, (2) a self-affirmation manipulation to reduce defensive processing, and (3) implementation intentions (if-then plans to avoid binge drinking) reduces alcohol consumption in the first 6months at university. A 2 (self-affirmation)×2 (TPB messages)×2 (implementation intention) between-participants randomized controlled trial with 6-month follow-up. Before starting university, students (N=2,951) completed measures of alcohol consumption and were randomly assigned to condition in a full-factorial design. TPB cognitions about binge drinking were assessed immediately post-intervention (n=2,682). Alcohol consumption was assessed after 1week (n=1,885), 1month (n=1,389), and 6months (n=892) at university. TPB cognitions were assessed again at 1 and 6months. Participants who received the TPB messages had significantly less favourable cognitions about binge drinking (except perceived control), consumed fewer units of alcohol, engaged in binge drinking less frequently, and had less harmful patterns of alcohol consumption during their first 6months at university. The other main effects were non-significant. The findings support the use of TPB-based interventions to reduce students' alcohol consumption, but question the use of self-affirmation and implementation intentions before starting university when the messages may not represent a threat to self-identity and when students may have limited knowledge and experience of the pressures to drink alcohol at university. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Alcohol consumption increases when young people enter university. Significant life transitions represent potential teachable moments to change behaviour. Interventions with a strong theoretical basis have been found to be more effective. What does this study add? A brief online intervention delivered to students before they start university can reduce alcohol consumption. The theory of planned behaviour can be used to inform the design of interventions to change health behaviour.

How Charles Schwab rediscovered its challenger mojo

We tend to think that acting as a ‘challenger brand’ is the preserve of disruptive start-ups such as Uber, iShares, Dyson and so on. Their ability to take advantage of new technologies and market openings would seem to be a prerequisite for acting as a challenger. It would seem that bigger, more established brands lack the agility, energy and introspection required to challenge category conventions. But as Charles Schwab's current ‘Own Your Tomorrow’ campaign shows, being a successful challenger may not be about size or recency, nor even agility. It is about adopting the right mindset, one in which taking on category conventions on behalf of a defined group of consumers becomes the company's raison d'être. It means burnishing and championing key values and beliefs that might lie dormant in the firm's DNA. Those values or beliefs have extra power and resonance to consumers if they represent something special, meaningful and transformational. Of course, today's consumers expect any brand that wants to engage with them to demonstrate, through brand behaviour, its values and beliefs, which makes being a challenger brand an imperative for today's marketers, not just one of a choice of positioning options. For Charles Schwab, adopting the challenger mindset meant breathing new life into the core values upon which the firm was founded in the 1970s. Within three years of the launch of their refreshed challenger platform, the brand's position, according to Landor's Brand Asset Valuator (see figure 1) shifted from lagging to leading brand in the financial service brokerage category. This paper describes the process by which Charles Schwab regained category leadership.

What Happens When a Teacher’s Science Belief Structure Is in Disequilibrium? Entangled Nature of Beliefs and Practice

This qualitative case study examined the process of change in an experienced elementary teacher’s belief structure during implementation of an inquiry-based science program. Difficulties generally associated with ascertaining beliefs were minimized by using Leatham’s (Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 9, 91-102 (2006) Sensible System Framework, enabling researchers to obtain rich descriptions of the teacher’s belief structure by focusing on words (professed beliefs), intentions (intended beliefs), and actions (enacted beliefs). Models were constructed of the teacher’s belief structure before and after implementation of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach (Hand et al. International Journal of Science Education, 26(2), 131–149, 2004), an inquiry-based approach to teaching science. Key beliefs for this teacher were related to how students learn, goals for teaching science, focus of instruction, and roles of teacher and student. Ultimately, the teacher shifted her professed, intended, and enacted beliefs resulting in a shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered classroom. Findings support Thagard’s Coherence Theory of Justification (2002), positing that change in one belief creates a state of disequilibrium that must be alleviated by changing/realigning other beliefs in order to re-establish coherence in the overall belief structure. This research focus is distinct from the general trend in teacher beliefs research in important ways. Most significant is that this study was not focused on the traditional two lists—those beliefs that were consistent with practice and those that were inconsistent with practice—but instead focused on the entwined nature of beliefs and practice and have shown that a teacher’s practice can be viewed as their enacted beliefs, an integral part of the teacher’s overall belief structure.

Evidence-Based Identification of Key Beliefs Explaining Infant Male Circumcision Motivation Among Expectant Parents in Zimbabwe: Targets for Behavior Change Messaging.

Slow adult male circumcision uptake is one factor leading some to recommend increased priority for infant male circumcision (IMC) in sub-Saharan African countries. This research, guided by the integrated behavioral model (IBM), was carried out to identify key beliefs that best explain Zimbabwean parents' motivation to have their infant sons circumcised. A quantitative survey, designed from qualitative elicitation study results, was administered to independent representative samples of 800 expectant mothers and 795 expectant fathers in two urban and two rural areas in Zimbabwe. Multiple regression analyses found IMC motivation among fathers was explained by instrumental attitude, descriptive norm and self-efficacy; while motivation among mothers was explained by instrumental attitude, injunctive norm, descriptive norm, self-efficacy, and perceived control. Regression analyses of beliefs underlying IBM constructs found some overlap but many differences in key beliefs explaining IMC motivation among mothers and fathers. We found differences in key beliefs among urban and rural parents. Urban fathers' IMC motivation was explained best by behavioral beliefs, while rural fathers' motivation was explained by both behavioral and efficacy beliefs. Urban mothers' IMC motivation was explained primarily by behavioral and normative beliefs, while rural mothers' motivation was explained mostly by behavioral beliefs. The key beliefs we identified should serve as targets for developing messages to improve demand and maximize parent uptake as IMC programs are rolled out. These targets need to be different among urban and rural expectant mothers and fathers.

Islam in the 21st century: Can the Islamic belief system and the ethics of social work be reconciled?

ABSTRACTNational tragedies such as the September 11th attacks (also known as “911”), the San Bernardino attack on December 2, 2014 and the Orlando murders at Pulse nightclub on June 13, 2016, which were all committed by sympathizers of Islamic terrorist groups, have fueled anti-Muslim sentiment and have led to a spike in hate attacks on Muslims (Siemaszko, 2015). Sadly, these acts of terrorism have created a climate of Islamophobia, or “an exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims that is perpetuated by negative stereotypes resulting in bias, discrimination, and the marginalization and exclusion of Muslims from social, political, and civic life” (Gallup, 2015). Since the results of a 2015 Gallup report found 43% of Americans have some degree of prejudice toward Muslims, this manuscript will address the following question: “Can the Islamic belief system and the ethics of social work be reconciled?” To respond to the primary research question, we will address the following three questions: (a) How has anti-Islamic bigotry impacted Islamic communities? (b) How does the Islamic belief system align with the ethics of the social work profession? and (c) What are the key Islamic beliefs and values which are central to ensuring spiritual competence among social work professionals working with Muslim clients? Since social workers “pursue social change, particularly with and on behalf of vulnerable and oppressed individuals and groups of people” (National Association of Social Workers, 2016), this manuscript will provide parallels between the Islamic belief system and ethics of the social work profession.

The public's belief in climate change and its human cause are increasing over time.

Polls examining public opinion on the subject of climate change are now commonplace, and one-off public opinion polls provide a snapshot of citizen's opinions that can inform policy and communication strategies. However, cross-sectional polls do not track opinions over time, thus making it impossible to ascertain whether key climate change beliefs held by the same group of individuals are changing or not. Here we examine the extent to which individual's level of agreement with two key beliefs ("climate change is real" and "climate change is caused by humans") remain stable or increase/decrease over a six-year period in New Zealand using latent growth curve modelling (n = 10,436). Data were drawn from the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, a probabilistic national panel study, and indicated that levels of agreement to both beliefs have steadily increased over the 2009–2015 period. Given that climate change beliefs and concerns are key predictors of climate change action, our findings suggest that a combination of targeted endeavors, as well as serendipitous events, may successfully convey the emergency of the issue.

Exploring the belief systems of domestic abuse victims: an exploratory study

PurposeSupport service provisions for domestic abuse victims have typically focussed on the immediate risk and etiological factors associated with abuse. Consequently, there is limited research exploring more persistent and pervasive factors involved in this cycle of abuse, such as subjective experiences and beliefs held by victims of domestic abuse. The purpose of this paper is to preliminary explore individual experience of domestic abuse including the belief systems of participants. Increasing our understanding of key factors and beliefs in the experience of domestic abuse could enable support services to create more long-term sustainable support for victims.Design/methodology/approachIn total, 12 women with a history of domestic abuse participated in an exploratory interview about their general beliefs and thoughts surrounding their domestic abuse experience. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsThe thematic analysis identified four belief themes: personal responsibility, antisocial attitudes, environmental factors and negative attitudes towards police.Practical implicationsThe paper highlights the value of understanding subjective, personalized experiences and beliefs of domestic abuse victims; identifies the importance of belief systems as potential treatment targets for domestic abuse victims; and acknowledges an avenue for more effective support provision for victims of domestic abuse.Originality/valueThis preliminary study offers new insights into the role of belief systems amongst a sample of domestically abused women. Understanding the significance of personalized, subjective experiences of domestic abuse victims is a step towards designing and implementing effective interventions. The findings further emphasize the need for more empirical research and theory development within the area of beliefs and domestic abuse victims.

Church and Culture in Catholic Ireland

Church and Culture in Catholic Ireland Tom Inglis There was a time, not long ago, when the Republic of Ireland was a homogeneous society and culture. The vast majority of the people were white, English-speaking and Catholic. Over the last fifty years, the cultural map of the country has changed dramatically. Ireland has become a multi-national, cosmopolitan, globalised society. There has been a shift in the balance of institutional cultural power away from the Catholic Church towards the state, the market and the media. The Catholic Church no longer has a monopoly over morality or spirituality. Everyday life has become more secularised: people no longer operate in Catholic time and space as they once did. They are increasingly making up their own minds as to what is right and wrong. They are devising their own paths to salvation and they are finding their own paths to God, the supernatural and transcendence. The demise of the institutional power of the Church is part of the decline of social hierarchies, particularly patriarchy. Social relations have become less formal. The rigid protocols that governed relations between men and women, children and parents, and between social classes have melted. We can see this as part of a long-term process of informalisation. At the same time, people increasingly see and understand themselves as discrete, free, independent individuals who are not bound by the family, community and religion into which they were born. We can see this as a process of individualisation.1 The decline in the power of the Catholic Church in Irish society is similar to the decline in the power of churches and institutional religion in other Western societies.2 There has also been a dramatic decline in the importance of Church teachings and religious beliefs and practices in everyday life.3 With some exceptions – most notably the debate about abortion – religion has moved from the public to the private sphere. Religion is not in the hearts, in the minds or on the lips of Catholics. Yet, more than four in five people see themselves as Catholics, nine in ten children go to Catholic primary schools and the majority of people are baptised, married and buried with Catholic ceremonies. There has been, I argue, a shift away from more traditional, orthodox and Studies • volume 106 • number 421 21 Church and Culture in Catholic Ireland legalistic forms of being Catholic to more individual, liberal forms. And yet the majority of Irish people see and understand themselves as Catholics. Their Catholic identity is important. It is part of their cultural heritage. In this sense, they are what I call Cultural Catholics.4 The old Catholic order is, then, yielding place to a new order that is less institutional and in which people are more ambiguous and sceptical about key beliefs and practices. There is less certainty about the existence of life after death, heaven and hell and the divinity of Christ. Catholics are increasingly making up their own minds about what is right or wrong. They are inventive in creating their own meanings of life in this sense, although they might never see themselves as Protestant, they are becoming more Protestant in the way they see the Church and live their lives. Institutional decline The decline in the power of the institutional Church is most obvious in the decline of vocations and the increase in the average age of those remaining in religious life. The Church does not have the same symbolic presence in parishes, schools, hospitals or social welfare homes. The practice of annual home visitations has almost disappeared. Today there is probably more chance of seeing a kingfisher on the river Liffey than there is of seeing a religious in clerical dress on the streets of Dublin. The problem is not just the decline in numbers. The child sex abuse scandals, and the way they were handled by the Church, have led to a decline in the dignity of, and respect for, priests, nuns and brothers. The honour they received in the community and in public places in the past was often a major compensation for a lonely celibate life. Instead of being at the heart of social life, there...

Middle Eastern Beliefs about the Causal Linkages of Development to Freedom, Democracy, and Human Rights

This paper investigates the extent to which people in five Middle Eastern countries endorse key beliefs of developmental idealism that associate development with freedom, democracy, and human rights. Developmental idealism is a set of beliefs concerning the desirability of development, the methods for achieving it, and its consequences. The literature suggests that these beliefs have diffused worldwide among elites and lay citizens and posits that when such beliefs are disseminated they become forces for social and economic changes. Although developmental idealism research has primarily examined family and demographic issues, developmental idealism has tremendous potential to influence other aspects of society. This paper extends knowledge by considering societal aspects not addressed previously in the developmental idealism literature: personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. Using survey data from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, we investigate how publics of these countries associate development with these elements. We find that majorities believe development brings greater personal freedom, democracy, and human rights. Conversely, the data show that in four of the countries majorities believe more personal freedom contributes to development. These findings provide support for the idea that developmental idealism beliefs concerning freedom, democracy, and human rights have diffused to lay publics in these five Middle Eastern countries. We also find evidence of uniquely Islamic developmental models; a significant proportion of people in these countries believe that more religion will bring more development.

Influence of demographic and clinical characteristics of actinic keratosis patients on illness perceptions and readiness to increase sun protection behaviours: an exploratory study.

There are no data comprehensively investigating the key beliefs and sun protection behaviours in patients with actinic keratosis (AK). Our aim was to determine and correlate the AK perceptions and readiness to increase sun protection (RISP) behaviours. AK patients' (n = 200) demographics and clinical findings were recorded. Participants completed questionnaires (Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised and RISP behaviours scales). The mean scores of giving up sunbathing of the patients aged <65 years, and giving up sunbathing and staying in the shade behaviours of females were higher. As the level of education increased, while the mean scores of giving up sunbathing decreased, using sunscreen scores increased. The mean scores of giving up sunbathing, using sunscreen and wearing protective clothing of those with the history of non-skin cancer (had cancer other than of the skin) were lower. The readiness to increase using sunscreen was found to be higher in patients with more chronic timeline beliefs, more positive perceived personal control and blaming sunlight more, and the wearing protective clothing was found to be higher in those with more cyclical timeline beliefs. AK patients, especially the subjects aged ≥65 years, have non-skin cancer history, and male gender should be informed to apply sun-protective behaviours.

Identification of Key Beliefs Explaining Male Circumcision Motivation Among Adolescent Boys in Zimbabwe: Targets for Behavior Change Communication.

Male circumcision (MC) significantly reduces HIV acquisition among men, leading WHO/UNAIDS to recommend high HIV and low MC prevalence countries circumcise 80% of adolescents and men age 15-49. Despite significant investment to increase MC capacity only 27% of the goal has been achieved in Zimbabwe. To increase adoption, research to create evidence-based messages is greatly needed. The Integrated Behavioral Model (IBM) was used to investigate factors affecting MC motivation among adolescents. Based on qualitative elicitation study results a survey was designed and administered to a representative sample of 802 adolescent boys aged 13-17 in two urban and two rural areas in Zimbabwe. Multiple regression analysis found all six IBM constructs (2 attitude, 2 social influence, 2 personal agency) significantly explained MC intention (R2=0.55). Stepwise regression analysis of beliefs underlying each IBM belief-based construct found 9 behavioral, 6 injunctive norm, 2 descriptive norm, 5 efficacy, and 8 control beliefs significantly explained MC intention. A final stepwise regression of all the significant IBM construct beliefs identified 12 key beliefs best explaining intention. Similar analyses were carried out with subgroups of adolescents by urban-rural and age. Different sets of behavioral, normative, efficacy, and control beliefs were significant for each sub-group. This study demonstrates the application of theory-driven research to identify evidence-based targets for the design of effective MC messages for interventions to increase adolescents' motivation. Incorporating these findings into communication campaigns is likely to improve demand for MC.

Assessment of Salient Beliefs Affecting Mothers' Intention to Adherence to Dietary Diversity in their Children's Complementary Feeding.

Background:Providing a variety of foods has been emphasized as one of the most important features of optimal complementary feeding. This study investigated key beliefs that guide mothers’ intention to adherence to dietary diversity in their 1–2-year-old children's complementary feeding.Methods:This was a cross-sectional study involving 290 mothers (mean age = 27, standard deviation = 5.32) with child 1–2-year-old attending maternal and child health section of health centers in Rasht, Iran. To represent the socioeconomic status of the participants, 6 centers out of 15 were selected from three different socioeconomic areas (low-, middle-, and high-income areas). Mothers completed a questionnaire assessing intention and belief-based items of theory of planned behavior. Correlations and multiple regression analyses were performed.Results:The mean age of mothers was 27 ± 5.33 (27–43 years). Regression analyses revealed that among behavioral beliefs, the perception that adherence to dietary diversity would lead to improve children's growth was the significant predictor of intention (β = 0.13, P = 0.04). Regarding normative beliefs, perceived social pressure from health-care professionals to adherence to dietary diversity significantly predicted intention (β = 0.15, P = 0.01). Among control beliefs, the perception that daily pressures made difficult adherence to dietary diversity was the key determinant (β = 0.19, P = 0.01).Conclusions:Findings of this study represent the important beliefs that can be addressed in development planning aimed at modifying mothers’ child complementary feeding practices.