How much control do we have over the things most likely to kill us, such as cancer and heart disease? This question is at the forefront of new research that explores the relationships between our perceptions of control and health behaviors.
According to the Uncontrollable Mortality Risk Hypothesis, believing that we are more likely to die from factors beyond our control may discourage us from investing in our long-term health. For instance, if we thought there was nothing we could do to avoid dying from an incurable disease, would eating our five-a-day be a priority?
A recent study by Northumbria University surveyed 1,500 UK adults to assess perceptions of control over 20 different causes of death. The participants reported feeling greater control over their risk of dying from heart disease than from any type of cancer, including lung, bowel, breast, prostate, and general risk of cancer. Cancer and heart disease were perceived as the two most likely causes of death overall.
The risk of death from cancer is widely believed to be beyond individual control, leading to a harmful sense of inevitability. However, the study found that lung cancer was considered more controllable than other types of cancer. Despite rising cancer rates, lifestyle and behavior changes that can help prevent cancer are often overshadowed by the importance of timely screening and treatment. Placing more emphasis on lifestyle changes can help increase perceptions of control and encourage preventative health behaviors to reduce overall cancer rates.
Heart disease was perceived as largely controllable, yet still the second most likely cause of death after cancer. This suggests that many people are not managing their level of risk through positive health behaviors. Barriers to adopting a healthy lifestyle include psychological factors such as stress and negative emotions, economic and geographic limitations such as living in a “food desert,” and social influences such as unhealthy relationships with food and excessive drinking. Addressing these factors is crucial for developing effective interventions to help individuals adopt and maintain healthy behaviors.
Public health communicators should focus more on promoting lifestyle and behavioral changes that individuals can make to reduce their risk of cancer and heart disease, in addition to encouraging proper screening and treatment. Understanding the barriers to maintaining a healthy heart and addressing persistent societal health inequalities requires sustained structural change and improvements to key services.