Sanderson Saskia C, Waller Jo, Jarvis Martin J, Humphries Steve E, Wardle Jane
Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, United States.
Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Feb;74(2):221-7. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2008.08.003. Epub 2008 Dec 6.
To examine and compare awareness of lifestyle risk factors for cancer and heart disease in a single UK representative sample.
Two open-ended questions about cancer and heart disease risk factors were included in a population-based survey of 1747 adults. Responses were coded for four lifestyles with established links to both diseases: smoking, eating an unhealthy diet, drinking excessive alcohol and physical inactivity.
Awareness of lifestyle risk factors was low for both diseases, although higher for heart disease than cancer. The average number identified by respondents was 2.1 (heart disease) and 1.4 (cancer). The strongest predictor was education (both p<0.001). Awareness that physical inactivity is a cancer risk factor was particularly low at 7%.
These findings suggest that public awareness of the impact of lifestyle on commonly feared diseases, especially cancer, is low.
Unhealthy lifestyles make a significant contribution to ill health and mortality. Increased public awareness of the links between lifestyles and commonly feared diseases might help people understand the potential health consequences of their actions and encourage them to make much-needed lifestyle changes. Efforts are needed to improve public health messages about how lifestyle risk factors impact on the chances of developing these important diseases.
在一个单一的英国代表性样本中，检查并比较对癌症和心脏病生活方式风险因素的认知情况。
在一项针对1747名成年人的基于人群的调查中，纳入了两个关于癌症和心脏病风险因素的开放式问题。对与这两种疾病都有既定关联的四种生活方式的回答进行了编码：吸烟、饮食不健康、饮酒过量和缺乏身体活动。
两种疾病的生活方式风险因素认知度都较低，尽管心脏病的认知度高于癌症。受访者识别出的平均数量为2.1（心脏病）和1.4（癌症）。最强的预测因素是教育程度（两者p<0.001）。认为缺乏身体活动是癌症风险因素的认知度尤其低，仅为7%。
这些发现表明，公众对生活方式对常见的令人恐惧的疾病，尤其是癌症的影响的认知度较低。
不健康的生活方式对健康不良和死亡率有重大影响。提高公众对生活方式与常见的令人恐惧的疾病之间联系的认识，可能有助于人们了解其行为可能带来的健康后果，并鼓励他们做出急需的生活方式改变。需要努力改进关于生活方式风险因素如何影响患这些重要疾病几率的公共卫生信息。
