Knowledge of People about Câncer Prevention in Brazil

Abstract

Several associations between cancer and some risk factors mainly concerning lifestyle, are well established. In view of the importance to convey this knowledge to the population for effective cancer prevention, this research was carried out to assess the level of information in a population in the countryside of Brazil. A survey by household interview was carried out in a probabilistic sample of four towns in order to obtain data on the knowledge of people about the association between tobacco, alcohol, certain types of food and sunlight, and the occurrence of cancer. The sample was obtained in a two phases process (blocks and houses) and every person older than 20 years was interviewed in the selected house. A total of 1084 persons were interviewed and their level of knowledge about the association between cancer and the risk factors was low (60% for tobacco, 45% for alcohol, 39% for certain foods and 67% for solar irradiation). This level increased with schooling and socioeconomic levei and decreased with age for people older than 60 years. This did not occur for alcohol, for which the trend went in the opposite direction regarding schooling and social class. The level of knowledge about these associations was higher for women. These data permitted us to identify population groups which could benefit from programs aimed to change their style of life.