The knowledge of cancer and attitudes associated with the issue among youth and young adults aged 15-30

Introduction: The diagnosis of cancer is associated with plenty of invalid beliefs. The intention of the research was to evaluate general knowledge as well as attitudes towards cancer and its diagnosis.

Material and methods: Using an authorial questionnaire, 514 people aged 15-30 have been studied. 73% of the study population was female.

Results: Nearly all of the surveyed people were aware of preservatives’ and dyes’ carcinogenic potential (97%), the possibility of developing cancer in young age (99%) and also the fact that patients do not always present symptoms of active cancer disease (97%). 88% of the study population is aware of the possibility of inheriting cancer. One in three people believe that cancer is always associated with asthenia, pain and weight loss. 26% of interviewees do not see diet as a risk factor for developing cancer. Relatively often (15%) a simple blood count test was considered sufficient means for excluding potential cancer disease. 93% of respondents confirm that cancer is curable, their feelings concerning its diagnosis are unequivocal: fear of illness (84%) and its association with death (14%). 9% of respondents claim that they do not perform any preventive screening tests because of their anxiety over potential positive diagnosis.

Conclusions: In social campaigns used to improve public awareness, more attention should be paid to educating society that people diagnosed with cancer do not necessarily look seriously ill while general well-being does not always mean lack of disease and that proper diet is an important part of cancer prevention.