Diet and cancer - how can we increase public awareness on the matter?
aSuper specialty Clinics, Shiv Shraddha Nursing Home Shahibaug, Ahmedabad 380004, India, bShree Ramchandra Medical College and Research Institute, Porur, Chennai, India
Academic investigations are useful only if it accepted and use by community. Only way for use is public education. Public education is an adjunct to academic investigations. As scientists we have a duty to disseminate lucid information to a public at present unaware of many fundamental facts they can utilize in the role of cancer prevention. We have published a recipe book after studying local food habits and its impact on cancer. Which explains in lay terms with particular stress on our diet and food preparation. The public reaction was encouraging, initiating an ongoing series of invitations to address a variety of associations on nutrition and cancer. People are looking for information that they can understand and be able to apply in their day-to-day living. Although it is impractical and unreasonable to expect people to change lifetime habits but they are ready change in many areas. Very important observation was that once people become receptive, they demand further information and slowly they change with out any efforts. Very interesting part is that was spread of information, which can reach to any part of word. Not only that once convinced they try to change their friends. It appears the public can cope with an approach to diet, which does not exclude certain foods, but concentrates on understanding the relationship between their body and food and illustrates how they can use that relationship to help protect them from cancer. AIM: Purpose of study was to examine effect on people who attended a role of diet in cancer education program or and/or received printed materials. METHOD: Participants were 400 housewives, were primarily female, with a mean age of 45years. They completed a 20-item awareness feedback form on three occasions before, immediately after program, and 1 month after program. On the third occasion, participants also were asked how they had used the information. Tests revealed that laypersons (p < 0.001) exhibited superior understanding of role of diet in cancer after attending the program, used the information in their personal health care, and shared it with others, and some implemented education and screening programs. Of nonattendees, only the health professional group retained knowledge gain over time. A conference can produce increased knowledge about role of diet in cancer and stimulate attendees to use information for themselves and share it with others. RESULT: For laypersons, conference attendance is superior (p < 0.01) to written materials alone, in achieving long-term gain in knowledge. Conference attendance follow by written material provide superior end result. CONCLUSIONS: Public education about food habit is relatively simple and cost effective way of preventing cancer Conference attendance follows by written material provide superior end result.
Paper presented at the International Symposium on Predictive Oncology and Intervention Strategies; Nice, France; February 7 - 10, 2004; in poster session 793 (Dietary Influences).