Be aware: Exercise cuts cancer risk

Inactivity is linked to cancer. Did you know that? Most don't.

A new study out on Aug. 9 in the Journal of Health Communications found that only 3.4 percent of people know that lack of physical activity is linked to a higher risk for cancer.

In 2017, researchers at the University of Washington identified 351 people from all walks of life between the ages 30 and 65. A smartphone-based app was used to record their personalized risk estimates for five common health conditions: heart disease, diabetes, stroke, colon cancer and (for women) breast cancer. People participating also answered a questionnaire with this question: "To your best knowledge, what illnesses, if any, are caused by not getting enough physical activity?" The results were surprising. Education had a great impact; people who picked any of the above diseases were more highly educated, while 65 percent of those without a formal education did not check any.

Only a small percentage of people associate lack of physical activity with cancer. This should give policymakers room to make improvements. Communication only needs to include basic communication of risk to get this very important message through to a large percentage of people.

Aditi Vyas

Bartlett