ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1631997
This article is part of the Research TopicStrategies to Improve Awareness and Management of Cancer Risk Factors and ScreeningsView all articles
Beliefs about causes of cancer among students around the world
Provisionally accepted
Judyta Bordakiewicz1
Donata Pokorska1
Daria Cieniawa1Mateusz Mikołajczyk2
Anita Mikołajczyk3
Monika Rucinska4
Karolina Osowiecka3*- 1Student Scientific Circle Epidemiological Research, School of Public Health, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland
- 2Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
- 3Department of Psychology and Sociology of Health and Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, Olsztyn, Warmian-Masurian, Poland
- 4Department of Oncology, Collegium Medicum University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, Olsztyn, Warmian-Masurian, Poland
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Introduction: Early prevention, especially among young adolescence could reduce cancer incidence. The aim of the study was to assess beliefs on cancer risk factors among students.Material and methods: The study was conducted among 761 Polish students and 140 students from 32 other countries. The study was provided using an original, validated questionnaire.Results: The most commonly indicated cancer risk factors by both Polish and foreign students were: smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, sunbathing/using tanning beds, exposure to ionizing radiation, diet and exposure to harmful occupational factors. There is a gap in knowledge concerning some other risk factors: low physical activity, viral infection and hormonal contraception. Students indicated genetic factors and smoking as a main cancer causes. Medical students were more aware of different cancer risk factors compared with non-medical students. Nationality (Polish/foreign), medical field of study, female, having cancer patient among friends/family, living in bigger city were significantly associated with beliefs about different cancer risk factors. Conclusion: Medical students demonstrated better knowledge about cancer causes than non-medical students, but it seems that the genetic factor is overestimated by students. It is necessary to provide education even among teenagers to increase cancer prevention. Special attention in raising awareness should be paid to cancer risk factors of physical inactivity and viral infection.
Keywords: cancer risk factors1, genetic factors2, lifestyle3, Cancer Prevention4, students5
Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 10 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Bordakiewicz, Pokorska, Cieniawa, Mikołajczyk, Mikołajczyk, Rucinska and Osowiecka. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Karolina Osowiecka, Department of Psychology and Sociology of Health and Public Health, School of Public Health, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland, Olsztyn, Warmian-Masurian, Poland
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