A recent study published in The British Medical Journal has highlighted the difficulty of differentiating between real and unproven causes of cancer. The study surveyed 1,494 people online about what causes cancer, assessing their beliefs in both evidence-based causes and mythical causes. It found that awareness of real causes of cancer such as smoking and being overweight was greater than awareness of mythical causes.
The study also looked at the difference between those who had been vaccinated for Covid-19 and those who had not, those who preferred alternative medicine and those who believed in conspiracy theories. It found that those who were unvaccinated, preferred alternative medicine or believed in conspiracies were less able to correctly identify both real and mythical causes of cancer. Vaccinated people and those who did not believe in conspiracies were able to correctly identify 63.6% real causes of cancer.
The authors of the paper suggested that improving online ranking algorithms, building trust and using effective health communication and social marketing campaigns may be possible ways to tackle this complex public health threat. This study highlights the difficulty of differentiating between real and mythical causes of cancer due to the amount of information that is available. It is important for individuals to be aware of the difference between evidence-based causes of cancer and those that have not been proven, in order to make informed decisions about their health.