Americans’ Beliefs About Cancer Risk Put Fear Before Facts
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Ingram Publishing/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Americans continue to tend to blame cancer on factors that they cannot control, rather than acknowledge what they can do to protect themselves, according to the 2015 AICR Cancer Risk Awareness Survey.
Researchers from the American Institute for Cancer Research surveyed 1,108 adults nationwide about cancer awareness and found that fewer than half were aware that obesity, physical inactivity, diets high in red meat and low in fruits and vegetables, and processed meats increase cancer risk.
Furthermore, researchers say the majority incorrectly believe that pollution, nuclear power and food additives cause cancer, though none have been proven to be risk factors.
Some of the public health messages, however, appear to have been heard, with the overwhelming majority of Americans correctly identifying tobacco and excessive sun exposure as risk factors.
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