Health Research Board, Grattan House 67-72 Lower Mount Street, Dublin, Ireland.
School of Public Health, University College Cork, 4th Floor, Western Gateway Building, Cork, Ireland.
BMC Public Health. 2023 Mar 28;23(1):577. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-15455-8.
Public awareness of the carcinogenic effects of alcohol is low, particularly the association between alcohol use and the risk of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer is the third most common cancer in Ireland and alcohol use remains high. This study examined factors related to awareness of the association between alcohol use and breast cancer risk.
Using data from Wave 2 of the national Healthy Ireland Survey, a representative sample of 7,498 Irish adults aged 15 + years, descriptive and logistic regression analyses were conducted to investigate relationships between demographic characteristics, type of drinker and awareness of breast cancer risk.
A low level of awareness of the risk of alcohol use (drinking more than the recommended low-risk limit) associated with breast cancer was found, with just 21% of respondents correctly identifying the relationship. Multivariable regression analyses found that factors most strongly associated with awareness were sex (female), middle age (45-54 years) and higher educational levels.
As breast cancer is a prevalent disease among women in Ireland, it is essential that the public, in particular women who drink, are made aware of this association. Public health messages that highlight the health risks associated with alcohol use, and which target individuals with lower educational levels, are warranted.
公众对酒精致癌作用的认识较低，特别是对饮酒与乳腺癌风险之间的关联的认识。乳腺癌是爱尔兰第三大常见癌症，而饮酒量仍然很高。本研究调查了与饮酒与乳腺癌风险之间关联的意识相关的因素。
利用爱尔兰全国健康调查第 2 波的数据，对 7498 名 15 岁及以上的爱尔兰成年人进行了描述性和逻辑回归分析，以调查人口统计学特征、饮酒类型与对乳腺癌风险意识之间的关系。
发现公众对饮酒（超过推荐的低风险限量）与乳腺癌风险之间的风险的认识水平较低，只有 21%的受访者正确识别了这种关系。多变量回归分析发现，与意识最相关的因素是性别（女性）、中年（45-54 岁）和较高的教育水平。
由于乳腺癌在爱尔兰的女性中是一种常见疾病，因此必须使公众，特别是饮酒的女性，了解这种关联。有必要发布针对教育水平较低个体的强调与饮酒相关的健康风险的公共卫生信息。
