Cancer Education Needed
Reported September 01, 2008
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Do you think you know what causes cancer? Results of a new survey show you probably dont!
Results from the survey by the International Union of Against Cancer (UICC) indicate most people have an exaggerated idea of environmental factors that may cause cancer, while minimizing the influence of behavioral risk factors that are well established as cancer risks.
The biggest misconceptions? Forty-two percent of people living in high-income countries do not believe drinking alcohol increases ones risk of cancer when in fact, cancer risk increases with alcohol intake. Stress and air pollution both scored higher (57 percent and 78 percent respectively) as perceived cancer risk factors than alcohol intake did. Stress, however, is not a recognized risk factor and air pollution is only a mild contributor.
In general, study authors say, survey participants more readily accepted things out of their control (like air pollution) as greater cancer risk factors as opposed to things that are in their control (like being overweight).
We know that people need to be given a reason why they should change, David Hill, M.D., director of the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, was quoted as saying. They need to be shown how to change; they need to be given resources or support to change; they need to remember to change and they need positive reinforcement for changing.
SOURCE: International Union of Against Cancer
