Woman stressed at work
A new survey suggests many people believe certain environmental and lifestyle factors cause cancer even though there is insufficient evidence to support these beliefs.
In a survey of 1330 people in England, more than 40% of respondents said that stress and food additives can cause cancer.
More than a third of participants reported that cancer may result from exposure to electromagnetic frequencies and eating genetically modified foods.
“It’s worrying to see so many people endorse risk factors for which there is no convincing evidence,” said Samuel Smith, PhD, of the University of Leeds in the UK.
“Compared to past research, it appears the number of people believing in unproven causes of cancer has increased since the start of the century, which could be a result of changes to how we access news and information through the Internet and social media.”
Dr Smith and his colleagues reported results from the survey in European Journal of Cancer.
The researchers surveyed 1330 people with a mean age of 43.7. Slightly more than half (51.6%) were female, most (84.7%) were white, and most (67%) had post-16 qualifications (education beyond age 16).
The survey included questions about 11 known cancer risk factors, such as being overweight, alcohol consumption, having a relative with cancer, and infection with human papillomavirus (HPV).
The survey also included questions about 12 factors that are commonly believed to cause cancer but for which there is no scientific evidence to confirm the belief. Some of these include eating food containing artificial sweeteners and using mobile phones, cleaning products, and aerosol containers.
Respondents were asked how much they agree that each of the factors increase the risk of cancer. Response options were: strongly disagree, disagree, unsure, agree, and strongly agree.
Results
Participants provided a correct response to more of the questions about proven cancer risk factors than unproven factors—53% and 36%, respectively (P<0.01).
Most respondents knew that active smoking (88%) and exposure to smoking (80%) can cause cancer. However, only 30% of them knew that HPV or low fruit and vegetable consumption are proven cancer risk factors.
The most common unproven factors believed to cause cancer were stress (43%), food additives (42%), electromagnetic frequencies (35%), and genetically modified foods (34%).
In addition, 19% of respondents said using microwave ovens can cause cancer, and 15% said drinking from plastic bottles can cause cancer.
The researchers did note that belief in unproven causes of cancer did not mean a person was more likely to have risky lifestyle habits.
However, respondents who had better knowledge of proven causes were more likely to engage in habits that might reduce their risk of cancer.
“People’s beliefs are so important because they have an impact on the lifestyle choices they make,” said Lion Shahab, PhD, of University College London in the UK.
“Those with better awareness of proven causes of cancer were more likely not to smoke and to eat more fruit and vegetables.”
Dr Smith added, “It’s vital to improve public education about the causes of cancer if we want to help people make informed decisions about their lives and ensure they aren’t worrying unnecessarily.”