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Published every five years, the new edition of the 2021 Cancer Barometer of the National Cancer Institute (INCa) has just been published on January 30. If about 70% of French people consider themselves well informed about cancer, they are a little more than one in five to think that “drinking a little wine reduces the risk of cancer”.
The Cancer Barometer published every 5 years by the National Cancer Institute aims to show how the French perceive cancer and act in the face of the disease. A survey of 5,000 people aged 15 to 85, for the fourth time since 2005.
Seven out of ten French people say they are “well informed about cancer”
While the majority of respondents say they are “well informed” about the disease, the link between risky behavior and cancer does not seem to be really established.
For example, 23% of respondents believe that “drinking a little wine can reduce the risk of cancer“, which is totally false. In general, the link between tobacco, alcohol and cancer is underestimated, with respondents tending to place the danger thresholds above their own consumption. While the two substances are classified as being the “first and second cause of avoidable cancers” in France, alcohol being responsible for 8 different cancers and tobacco for 17 different cancer pathologies. This is however the subject of a recent campaign by Public Health France .
Regarding tobacco, the Barometer reports that, paradoxically, the electronic cigarette is perceived as being more harmful than tobacco, for more than half of the respondents.
Skin cancers, too underestimated
On the other hand, the harmful effects of the sun and in particular UV rays on the skin, whether natural or artificial, such as in tanning booths, are minimized by the respondents.
And on the contrary, the genetic impact of cancer, perceived as a fatality, is on the other hand overestimated. In reality, only 10% of cancers have a genetic origin, against 40% of cancers that would be preventable by correcting one’s habits, such as exposure to the sun, precisely.
Progress on the impact of food
Unhealthy diet is the third risk factor for preventable cancer. Since 2010, the Cancer Barometer has been asking French people about their perceptions of nutrition-related cancer risk and protection factors. And the progression is significant concerning the consumption of red meat and charcuterie.
The Barometer shows that the messages related to the risks of overconsumption of red meat or charcuterie are better known to respondents. Consumption of cold cuts, for example, is perceived as being a risk factor for cancer at 74%, i.e. 26 points more than in 2010. Ditto for the consumption of fruit and vegetables as a protective factor for cancer, at 63% with +7 points. For the InCa, however “it seems important to continue to raise public awareness of the health benefits and risks (and cancer in particular) associated with the consumption of certain foods“.
Slide: Misconceptions about cancer