Estimating the level of knowledge of Greek students on cancer aetiology and ways of prevention

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to establish the perception of the relative importance of various environmental risk factors for cancer among Greek students. A questionnaire was used to assess the students' knowledge on cancer causation. The factors examined included smoking habits, drinking, geophysical factors, pollution, dietary factors, and the students' awareness of the contribution of these factors to the generation of the disease. In addition, we examined the students' attitude to the factors as cancer risk determinants. A random sample of 1,136 students was selected from the matriculated students of various departments of the Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki. We found a relative important lack of knowledge on subjects related to the generation of the disease.