A study by the National Cancer Institute shows that the French consider themselves to be well informed regarding cancer and minimize the risks linked to their behaviour, in particular the links with smoking or alcohol consumption.
About seven out of 10 French people say they have solid information on cancers, warns the National Cancer Institute (INCa), which unveils its 2021 Cancer Barometer on Monday, January 30, in partnership with Public Health France. This barometer, published every five years, shows how the French perceive cancer and act once morest the disease. The survey is conducted with 5 000 people between the ages of 15 and 85 ans.
If the French feel well informed regarding the causes of cancer, they have said that they tend to minimize the risks associated with their behavior. According to this barometer, part of the population completely underestimates the link between tobacco, alcohol and cancer, even though these are the first and second cause of cancer in France. Thus, 23% of people questioned think that drinking a little wine reduces the risk of cancer.
#DryJanuary | Why and how does alcohol increase the risk of #cancers ?
Discover our video to take stock in less than 5 minutes. pic.twitter.com/ptvTze2QG8— Institut national du cancer (@Institut_cancer) January 26, 2023
This figure can be explained by the multiplication of “conflicting messages”, tells franceinfo Suzette Delaloge, director of the personalized cancer prevention program at the Gustave Roussy Institute.
“Alcohol in very small quantities can be a little protective on certain cardiovascular risks, but not at all on cancer. On the contrary, it increases the risks of many cancers.”
Suzette Delaloge, oncologistat franceinfo
Moreover, only one in five smokers considers that there is a risk of tobacco-related cancer above 20 cigarettes per day. And more than one in two French people are convinced that playing sports can cleanse their lungs of tobacco.
Cancer considered a genetic fatality
You have to see a “need to be safe”, of it “to reassure”explains to France Inter Norbert Ifrah, president of the National Cancer Institute. Another point of concern, this time concerning skin cancers : the French greatly minimize the impact of excessive exposure to the sun or artificial UV rays on the probability of one day suffering from cancer. The French, on the other hand, overestimate the weight of heredity in relation to cancer, fearing a sort of fatality when only 10% of cancers have a genetic origin.
To fight once morest this false information, Suzette Delaloge highlights the need to inform of the risks and evokes “the challenge of creating new health professionals more dedicated to the prevention of cancers or other diseases”. Prevention can be all the more effective as nearly half of cancers are preventable because they are linked to lifestyles. Moreover, some knowledge is progressing, particularly concerning food: while 19 000 cancers are attributed each year to an unbalanced diet, messages regarding the risks associated with excessive consumption of red meat or charcuterie and on the benefits of fruits and vegetables are better remembered.
The barometer is also interested in electronic cigarettes, perceived as harmful to health by three out of four French people. More than half of those questioned consider it even more dangerous than traditional cigarettes. The National Cancer Institute also reveals that 10% of vapers had never smoked before taking up electronic cigarettes.
