WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) -- Nearly 70 percent of adults think the risk of dying of cancer in the United States is increasing, when it has been in the decline since the 1990s.
Nearly four in 10 agreed that living in a polluted city is a greater risk for lung cancer than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, which is not the case, according to the survey published online in the journal Cancer and in print Sept. 1.
The American Cancer Society researchers also found that 30 percent thought electronic devices like cell phones can cause cancer, 15 percent thought personal hygiene products like shampoo, deodorant and antiperspirants can cause cancer, and 6 percent thought underwire bras can cause breast cancer -- all untrue, the researchers said.
The researchers found women were more informed than men.
"Public education programs and interventions to address and convincingly refute commonly held misconceptions regarding cancer risks might increase the adoption of healthy attitudes, beliefs, and, most importantly, behaviors," adding that "educational and intervention programs should be culturally informed and accessible to all individuals, with special attention placed on reaching the highest risk populations," the researchers wrote.
