Is Diet Perceived as a Cancer Risk Factor? Lay Perceptions in a Representative French Sample

The French Cancer Barometer is a survey performed at five-year intervals investigating awareness of cancer risk factors, including dietary factors. The aims of this study were (1) to report the results of the survey concerning participants' awareness of diet/foods as cancer risk factors, (2) to describe the determinants of this awareness, and (3) to compare the results of the 2010, 2015, and 2021 surveys.

A randomly selected representative sample of participants aged from 15 to 85 years (n = 4938) was surveyed in 2021. Questions concerned awareness of diet, specific foods, and behaviors as cancer risk factors.

More than 40% of the participants spontaneously identified diet as a cancer risk factor, and almost 92% considered it to be a cancer risk factor in a closed-ended question. Some foods were considered by most participants to increase cancer risk (ultra-processed food, processed meats, and red meat), whereas others (fruit and vegetables) were perceived as decreasing cancer risk or were thought either to decrease risk or to have no effect (organic foods and pulses). Demographic factors were found to be associated with risk factor perceptions and specific perceptions of cancer (i.e., having a cancer someday, being well informed) and behaviors (i.e., having consulted a general practitioner recently). Interestingly, the perception of diet/food as risk factors was greater in 2021 than in previous surveys.

In addition to continuing efforts to target interventions for individuals with lower educational levels, efforts should also be made to target individuals who consult their general practitioner infrequently.