Effect of Mortality alongside 5-Year Survival Rates and Incidence on the Public’s Perceived Benefits of Cancer Screening and Screening Intention: A Web-Based Experimental Study

Abstract

Background Mortality is critical information in evaluating the benefits of cancer screening. However, 5-y survival rates and incidence, without mortality, have been frequently communicated to the public. Based on the literature that people’s perceptions and judgments can be altered by the way of presenting health statistics, the current study examined whether mortality alongside 5-y survival and incidence would influence laypeople’s perceptions of the effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intention. Methods In an online-based experimental survey conducted in South Korea in October 2022, 300 adults were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups (mortality: no v. yes) to be presented with 3 different cancers (A, B, and C). The perceived effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intention were measured using 7-point scales for each cancer. Results Across all cancers, participants in the no-mortality group perceived cancer screening to be more effective and were more willing to undergo screening compared with those in the mortality group, although the results were not statistically significant on the intention. Conclusions In general, mortality had an effect of decreasing the perceived effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intention compared with no mortality, although the effect on the intention was not statistically significant. Implications When communicating the benefits of cancer screening to the public, mortality statistics may play a role in mitigating the potentially inflated perception of the benefits of cancer screening and screening intention. Highlights Five-year survival rates, either alone or with incidence rates, are frequently communicated to the public in the context of the benefits of cancer screening. However, 5-y survival rates can sometimes be inflated without a reduction in mortality. Including mortality statistics in communications decreased the perceived effectiveness of cancer screening and screening intentions. Mortality information needs to be communicated in the benefits of cancer screening.