A survey by the Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education (CMKP) in Warsaw found a sharp gap between what people know about cancer risk and what they do to reduce it.
The report, titled "Knowledge, Attitudes and Behavior of Poles in Cancer Prevention," was compiled by researchers from the CMKP’s School of Public Health. It is based on a survey of 1,087 adults in Poland, carried out in January.
Only 12.7 percent of respondents rated their knowledge of cancer as high or very high. More than one-third said their knowledge was low or very low.
“Our study reveals a worrying paradox: Poles fear cancer, but they do not take actions that could protect them,” said Justyna Grudziąż-Sękowska of the CMKP’s Department of Epidemiology and Population Health.
"One in five respondents believes that dietary supplements protect against cancer, and one in six believes that so-called detoxes are effective," she added.
She said the problem was linked to growing health disinformation, especially on social media.
The best-recognized cancer risk factor was smoking, named by almost 65 percent of respondents.
More than 60 percent also pointed to genetic predisposition and excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
Awareness was lower in other areas. Only 41.9 percent of respondents identified overweight or obesity as a cancer risk factor, although obesity increases the risk of at least several types of cancer.
"Smoking dominates the public debate on cancer, and rightly so, because it is recognized by almost 65 percent of respondents," said Kuba Sękowski of the CMKP’s Department of Medical Law, History and Communication.
"Meanwhile, obesity, which increases the risk of at least a dozen types of cancer, is indicated by only 42 percent of respondents. This is a serious gap that prevention programs must fill."
The report also found that many people recognize the value of cancer screening, but participation remains low.
More than half of respondents said regular screening was an effective way to reduce cancer risk. A similar share said quitting smoking was crucial.
National Health Fund (NFZ) data show that around 33 percent of the eligible attend mammography screening, around 14 percent attend cervical smear tests, and around 17 to 20 percent take part in colorectal cancer screening.
"The results of our study confirm the diagnosis we already know from NFZ data: Poles know that screening is important, but they take part in it too rarely," Sękowski said. "The gap between declared knowledge and real behavior is the biggest challenge in designing publicly funded prevention programs."
He added that education alone was not enough. Organizational barriers also needed to be removed, and people needed stronger incentives to take part in screening.
One of the report’s most worrying findings concerns unverified health claims.
Regular use of dietary supplements as a way to protect against cancer was named by 20.8 percent of respondents. Another 16.2 percent said they believed in the effectiveness of detoxes, special juices or teas.
The study also found clear differences between women and men. Women were more likely to monitor their health, measure blood pressure, watch their weight and check skin changes.
Among men, regular testicular self-examination was especially rare. Only 29.9 percent of male respondents said they did it regularly.
"The data clearly show that cancer prevention in Poland has a female face," Grudziąż-Sękowska said. "Meanwhile, almost 70 percent of men do not regularly perform testicular self-examination, even though testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers among young men."
She said Poland needed separate health communication strategies aimed at men.
Only 21.5 percent of all respondents said they regularly checked for symptoms that could suggest cancer.
Just one in four regularly monitored body weight and waist circumference, while 17 percent said they did no preventive checks at home.
"The most important conclusion from the study is the clear discrepancy between knowledge and action," said Mateusz Jankowski of the CMKP’s Department of Epidemiology and Population Health.
"More than half of Poles see the importance of screening and early cancer detection, yet only 21.5 percent of respondents declare regular self-checking for symptoms that could suggest cancer," he added.
He said the main challenge was now to turn health awareness into lasting habits and everyday behavior.
The report’s authors said cancer prevention should be a key part of state health policy, with more than 180,000 new cancer cases recorded in Poland each year.
They called for long-term education, action against health disinformation, and more effective efforts to encourage people to use screening programs and monitor their health.
(rt/gs)
Source: naukawpolsce.pl