Perceptions of risk factors for colorectal cancer and colorectal cancer risk-related behaviors among current, ex-, and nonsmokers

Evaluating Correlates of Awareness of the Association between Drinking Too Much Alcohol and Cancer Risk in the United States

BACKGROUND

Awareness that alcohol consumption is associated with cancer is low in the United States, and predictors of awareness are not well understood.

METHODS

Data from the 2017 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5 Cycle 1) were used to describe knowledge of the association between drinking too much alcohol and cancer ("Yes," aware of the association; "No"; or "Don't know") among 3,009 adults. Weighted multinomial multivariable logistic regression determined personal characteristics (e.g., demographic characteristics, health-related self-efficacy, cancer beliefs, and information seeking) associated with reporting "Yes" or "Don't know" compared with "No."

RESULTS

Thirty-eight percent of the U.S. population believed there was an association (38.36%), 36.17% were uncertain, and 25.47% believed there was no association. People believing that everything causes cancer and people who had ever looked up information about cancer had 1.61 and 1.80 higher odds of reporting "Yes" [95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.08-2.42 and 1.27-2.57, respectively]. Compared with people who were completely confident in their ability to take care of their health, people only somewhat confident had 2.32 higher odds of reporting "Don't know" (95% CI, 1.30-4.14). Younger age was negatively associated with reporting "Don't know."

CONCLUSIONS

Awareness of the association between alcohol and cancer is low in the United States. Personal characteristics associated with awareness differed between reporting "Yes" and "Don't know," and there were few associations between demographic characteristics and awareness.

IMPACT

A significant knowledge gap exists in the population. Broad reaching public health media campaigns, particularly those that increase information seeking, are needed to increase awareness.

Do recent epidemiologic observations impact who and how we should screen for CRC?

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is recommended to begin at age 50 for those patients with no significant family history of CRC. However, even within this group of average-risk patients, there is data to suggest that there may be variation in CRC risk. These observations suggest that perhaps CRC screening should be tailored to target those patients at higher risk for earlier or more invasive screening as compared to those individuals at lower risk. The strategy of how to identify those higher-risk patients may not be straightforward. One method might be to use single risk factors such as smoking or elevated BMI as has been suggested in the recent American College of Gastroenterology CRC screening guidelines. Another paradigm involves the use of models which incorporate several risk factors to stratify patients by risk. This article will highlight recent large studies that examine recognized CRC risk factors as well as review recently developed CRC risk models. There will also be a discussion of the application of these factors and models in an effort to make CRC screening more efficient.