Factors Related to Cancer Information Scanning and Seeking Behavior among High School Students in Korea

Objective: This paper aimed to determine the relationship between cancer information scanning andseeking experience of adolescents and cancer preventive behavior, perceived cancer risk, and levels of cancerrelatedknowledge.
Methods: The study sample comprised 1,000 second-year students from 6 high schools:the general and vocational school systems were each represented by 1 boys’, 1 girls’, and 1 coeducationalhigh school. In July 2011, trained researchers visited each classroom, explained the purpose of the study,distributed questionnaires to the students who agreed to participate, instructed them to complete the surveyby self-reporting, and collected the completed questionnaires.
Results: The students who attended generalhigh schools (as compared with vocational high schools), earned higher grades, consumed more vegetables,had a higher perceived cancer risk, and answered the cancer-related questions more correctly had morecancer information scanning and seeking experience.
Conclusion: These results reinforce the importance ofcancer prevention health education. Furthermore, the results may help in preparing a strategy that enablespeople to acquire accurate cancer-related information easily and quickly.