Sit Less, Move More: A National Study of Physical-Activity Behavior and Cancer

Background: Physical activity is associated with lower risks of cancer, the second leading cause of death among Americans. Yet, sedentary behavior is the prevailing lifestyle for about 80% of American adults. Additionally, cancer survivors remain significantly inactive, even though physical activity has been shown to decrease risk of cancer and cancer recurrence, improve tolerance of cancer therapy, and reduce mortality. This research explores the relative impact of personal agency, social support, and key demographic variables on physical-activity behavior for a national sample of adults as well as how these relationships differ for cancer survivors and their counterparts. Methods: Using the theoretical frameworks of Social Cognitive Theory and Intersectionality, this investigation employed hierarchical regression modeling utilizing the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 5, Cycle 4 dataset. Additionally, analyses were conducted separately for cancer survivors and those who never had cancer to assess for differences in the relationships between the independent variables and physical activity-behavior. Results: Several variables within the domains of personal agency (wearing activity trackers, confidence in care, feeling strong), social support (YouTube, health insurance), and demographics (sex, race, marital status, education, feeling comfortable with income) significantly impacted physical-activity behavior in the general population. However, when the sample was split between cancer survivors and those who never had cancer, the analyses revealed several intersectional differences demonstrating that confidence in care, being female, and household size were the variables that influenced physical activity behavior for cancer survivors. Conclusions: The findings from this study suggest that various personal agency, social support, and demographic variables predict physical-activity behavior. In addition, the intersectional findings suggest the need for tailored assessments and interventions for cancer survivors. Keywords: physical activity, sedentary behavior, cancer, Intersectionalit

The consumer scam: an agency-theoretic approach

Despite the extensive body of literature that aims to explain the phenomenon of consumer scams, the structure of information in scam relationships remains relatively understudied. The purpose of this article is to develop an agency-theoretical approach to the study of information in perpetrator-victim interactions. Drawing a distinction between failures of observation and failures of judgement in the pre-contract phase, we introduce a typology and a set of propositions that explain the severity of adverse selection problems in three classes of scam relationships. Our analysis provides a novel, systematic explanation of the structure of information that facilitates scam victimisation, while also enabling critical scrutiny of a core assumption in agency theory regarding contract design. We highlight the role of scam perpetrators as agents who have access to private information and exercise considerable control over the terms and design of scam relationships. Focusing on the consumer scam context, we question a theoretical assumption, largely taken for granted in the agency literature, that contact design is necessarily in the purview of the uninformed principal