1. Cancer prevention: Knowledge, attitudes and lifestyle cancer-related behaviors among adolescents in Italy
- Author
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Concetta Paola Pelullo, Giuseppe Lioi, Maria Mitidieri, Maria Pavia, Gabriella Di Giuseppe, Di Giuseppe, G., Pelullo, C. P., Mitidieri, M., Lioi, G., and Pavia, M.
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,Adolescent ,Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis ,Physical activity ,lcsh:Medicine ,lifestyle cancer-related behaviors ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,0302 clinical medicine ,Lifestyle cancer-related behavior ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Neoplasms ,Health care ,medicine ,Humans ,risk factors ,Surveys and Questionnaire ,030212 general & internal medicine ,adolescents ,Exercise ,Life Style ,Cancer ,Response rate (survey) ,Cancer prevention ,attitudes ,business.industry ,Prevention ,Risk Factor ,lcsh:R ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,medicine.disease ,Lifestyle ,Knowledge ,Attitude ,Italy ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Family medicine ,Female ,business ,Human - Abstract
This study explores knowledge, attitudes and lifestyle behaviors related to cancer in a sample of adolescents. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire. 871 adolescents agreed to participate, with a response rate of 96.8%. Only 26.1% had a good level of knowledge on most risk factors for cancer. Adolescents with both parents employed, with a personal, familiar or friend history of cancer or having received information about cancer prevention from a physician, were more likely to have good knowledge about the risk factors for cancer. In total, 41% of participants declared that they consumed alcohol and 25.3% declared they were current smokers, 19.2% consumed fruits or vegetables more than once a day and 75.2% reported poor physical activity. Older adolescents, with a personal, familiar or friend history of cancer, not having one parent in the healthcare sector or not physically active were significantly more likely to be current smokers, whereas physical activity was significantly more likely in adolescents who had been informed by physicians on cancer prevention, and had one parent in the healthcare sector. This study highlights a need for improved education of adolescents about cancer prevention and lifestyle cancer-related behaviors.
- Published
- 2020