This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
ACS: Cancer risk behaviors remain high
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Progress has been made to reduce the rate of cancer risk factors and increase the utilization of cancer preventive methods, but there is still room for improvement, according to a report conducted by the American Cancer Society.
Rates for smoking among certain populations, obesity and indoor tanning remain high, whereas HPV vaccination and colorectal cancer screening are poorly utilized, results showed.
“Much of the suffering and death from cancer could be prevented by more systematic efforts to reduce tobacco use, improve diet and physical activity, reduce obesity and expand the use of established screening tests,” Stacey A. Fedewa, MPH, of the department of intramural research at the ACS, and colleagues wrote. “Avoiding the use of tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active throughout life and consuming a healthy diet can substantially reduce a person’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer.”
Fedewa and colleagues evaluated data from population-based surveys conducted by the CDC, including the 2013 National Health Interview Survey, the 2012 and 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data and the 1976 to 2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Cancer risk factors
The 2013 rates for tobacco use were 20.5% in men and 15.3% in women vs. 23.5% overall in 1999. Highly educated individuals (bachelor’s degree or higher) were least likely to use tobacco, although tobacco use decreased across all education levels. People who self-identified as gay or lesbian (25.8%) or bisexual (28.6%) were more likely to use tobacco than people who identified as straight (17.6%). The state with the highest percentage of tobacco use was West Virginia (27.3%).
Although youth tobacco use decreased from 36.4% in 1997 to 15.7% in 2013, the researchers observed an increase in the use of e-cigarettes among those aged younger than 18 years. The regular use of e-cigarettes increased from 1.5% in 2011 to 4.5% in 2013. During the same period, the number of underage individuals who reported ever trying e-cigarettes rose from 4.7% to 11.9%.
However, researchers observed a rise in the number of individuals who identified as former smokers. More than half (55.2%) of the 94 million individuals who reported having smoked 100 cigarettes or more in their lifetimes since 2002 currently identified as former smokers. Because the risk for developing or dying of cancer decreases with cessation, the researchers said this information will have a positive effect on long-term tobacco-related death from cancer.
Researchers reported a steady rise in obesity since 1976, and in 2013 two-thirds of Americans were overweight or obese. Obesity rates are highest among blacks (57.4%), Hispanics (45.2%) and non-Hispanic whites (33.3%). The state with the highest prevalence of obesity was Mississippi (35.1%).
The rate of childhood obesity has remained steady at 16% since 2002. The childhood obesity rate was 16.7% among boys and 17.2% among girls. Researchers observed that 27.1% of high school students received the recommended amount of physical activity — or at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly — whereas 30.5% of adults reported no physical activity during an average week. Because physical activity has been associated with reduced risks for breast, colon and endometrium cancers, the researchers emphasized the importance of meeting the recommended weekly amount of physical activity.
With regard to UV exposure and melanoma risk, researchers noted that in 2010, 32.1% of people reported always or often using sunscreen when outside on sunny days, whereas only 10.1% of adolescents reported using sunscreen regularly. The use of indoor tanning beds was common among 4.4% of Americans, and 20.2% of adolescent women reporting using tanning beds.
Preventive measures
Researchers noted that mortality rates have declined in many cancers due to a corresponding increase in screening rates. Colorectal cancer screening has increased from 38.6% in 2000 to 54.5% in 2008; however, the rates have stabilized in recent years and still lag behind rates of screening for breast and cervical cancers. In 2013, only 58.6% of adults aged at least 50 years received their recommended colorectal cancer screening. Among uninsured individuals — for whom screening rates were lower across all categories — the rate for colorectal cancer screening was 21.9%.
Researchers also noted that although the use of the HPV vaccine for the prevention of cervical cancer has increased in the past 5 years, vaccination rates remain low overall for adolescent girls (37.6%) and boys (13.9%).
“These prevalence estimates provide a summary of risk factors and early detection methods for major cancer sites and highlight the populations most in need of cancer control efforts and interventions,” Fedewa and colleagues concluded. – by Cameron Kelsall
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts