Structural equation modeling for implementation intentions, cancer worry, and stages of mammography adoption.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to develop a structural model for mammography adoption in Japanese middle-aged women by using constructs from the transtheoretical model (TTM), the theory of planned behavior (TPB), implementation intentions, and cancer worry. METHODS: Questionnaires based on items including TTM, TPB, implementation intentions, cancer worry-related variables, and demographic variables were distributed to 1000 adult women aged 40 to 59 years, with 641 subjects being used in the final analysis (response rate = 64.1%). RESULTS: Regarding the stage of adoption, 79 participants (12.3%) were at the precontemplation stage, 30 (4.7%) were at the relapse stage, 142 (22.2%) were at the contemplation stage, 88 (13.7%) were at the action stage, and 302 (47.1%) were at the maintenance stage. Our model, derived from structural equation modeling, revealed that the stage of mammography adoption was significantly affected by goal intentions, implementation intentions, perceived barriers, history of breast cancer screening, and relative risk. A logistic regression analysis revealed that goal intentions and implementation intentions significantly predicted mammography uptake within 1 year. CONCLUSION: This study developed an integrated model constructed from TTM, TPB, implementation intentions, and cancer worry to account for mammography adoption in Japan, and also confirmed the predictive validity of the model.

The relationship between health-related quality of life and social networks among Japanese family caregivers for people with disabilities.

AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine HRQOL depending on whether the participants have family members with disabilities or not. In addition, we examined the relationship between HRQOL and social networks among family caregivers in Japan. METHODS: The study has a cross-sectional design. Survey forms were distributed to 9205 people aged 30 and older who visited a dispensing pharmacy within fifteen areas of Japan. We collected data on gender, age, job status, and care giving status for persons with disabilities. Moreover, we assessed support size, social support, and HRQOL. Out of the 2029 questionnaires returned, 1763 (male: 663, female: 1100, mean age = 63.06 +/- 13.34) were valid for statistical analyses (the available response rate was 19.15%). RESULTS: A significant difference in HRQOL was identified between family caregivers and non-family caregivers. Further, in males (N = 101), the results confirmed that only social support predicted the PCS and MCS scores, while other variables did not predict either score. On the other hand, in females (N = 144), it was found from the second step of hierarchical multiple regression analysis that only age explained the PCS score, while job status and support size explained the MCS score. CONCLUSION: It is reasonable to conclude that the HRQOL of family caregivers was lower than that of non-family caregivers, and that the HRQOL of family caregivers was estimated by their social networks.