The Awareness of Healthy Individuals about Attributable Risk Factors of Cancer

Year 2023, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 251 - 259, 31.01.2023

İlke Keser , Kadirhan Özdemir , Hilal Utkan Bergüz , Songül Atasavun Uysal , Sinem Suner-keklik , Songul Baglan-yentur , Mukaddes Aras

https://doi.org/10.30621/jbachs.1091746

Abstract

Background and Purpose: This study aimed to determine the awareness of healthy individuals about the attributable risk factors of cancer and the reliability of their ideas.

Methods: A review of relevant literature was undertaken to assemble a list of possible causes of cancer. Seventy-six healthy individuals were interviewed. Individuals were asked to declare their opinion by scoring the potential 15 cancer risk factors between 0-4. One week later, the opinions were retaken to test reliability.

Results: According to the participants, smoking (94.8%) and mobile phone use (79%) had perfect consensus; being overweight (63.1%) and having a family history of cancer (92.1%) had substantial consensus; alcohol (90.8%), stress (93.5%), sunlight exposure (69.77%), plastic (84.2%), infection (57.9%), occupational exposure (67.1%), fatigue (54%), nuclear accident (96%) had moderate consensus. Air pollution (86.8%) and washing agents (77.7%) had fair consensus. Age (34.2%) was not a risk factor for cancer. All risk factors were reliable between the two assessments except age (p<0.05).

Conclusion: It was determined that 14 out of the 15 risk factors carried a cancer risk according to the individuals. The formation of sufficient awareness and acceptance about risk factors has revealed the necessity of raising awareness in the fight against cancer.

Keywords

Cancer, public health, risk, awareness

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