An Analysis of the Language and Risk Perceptions towards a Nasopharyngeal Cancer Pamphlet

• Main Author: JIA YIING, HO
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: UNIMAS 2024
• Subjects: P Philology. Linguistics
• Online Access: http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/46383/1/An%20Analysis%20of%20the%20Language%20and%20Risk%20Perceptions%20towards%20Nasopharyngeal%20Cancer%20Pamphlet.pdf; http://ir.unimas.my/id/eprint/46383/

This qualitative descriptive research examined perceived severity, susceptibility, and barriers towards nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) before and after reading an NPC health pamphlet produced by the Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The study involved interviews with 65 NPC-free participants from the Kuching and Samarahan divisions of Sarawak, Malaysia, using an interview guide to elicit in-depth responses. Findings indicated that affective language – specifically words associated with anxiety and curiosity, such as “bleeding discharge,” “double vision,” “lump on neck,” and “Epstein-Barr Virus” – was the most influential attitudinal resource. An analysis framework based on the Appraisal Theory was employed to analyse the attitudinal and affective language used in the pamphlet. Thematic analysis revealed that the majority of participants perceived NPC as a severe disease, associating it with death, frightening symptoms, and disruptions to quality of life, while only a minority felt at risk of contracting NPC after reading the pamphlet. Commonly perceived risk factors included smoking, environmental pollution, preserved food, and high incidence rates in Malaysia. The study demonstrated a strong link between affective language and changes in perceived susceptibility and severity, suggesting that both Appraisal Theory and Health Belief Model (HBM) are valuable frameworks for developing effective cancer education materials in Malaysia. This research provides insights that could enhance public health communication and NPC risk reduction efforts. Keywords: Nasopharyngeal cancer, textual analysis, health beliefs, appraisal theory, cancer risk messages, affective language