Ewa Czeczelewska
Beata Kościańska
Marzena Janczaruk
Jan Czeczelewski
Awareness of young women of the role of dietary factors in the prevention of breast cancer
Ewa Czeczelewska
Beata Kościańska
Marzena Janczaruk
Jan Czeczelewski
Department of Health Sciences, Collegium Mazovia Innovative University in Siedlce, Siedlce, Poland
Z Centrum Onkologii Ziemi Lubelskiej w Lublinie
Z Centrum Onkologii Ziemi Lubelskiej w Lublinie
Zakład Geografii Regionalnej i Turyzmu, Wydział Nauk o Ziemi i Gospodarki Przestrzennej UMCS w Lublinie, Polska
Abstract
Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common type of malignant neoplasm in women in Poland. The most important factor in reducing mortality from breast cancer is preventive oncology, which includes both primary and secondary prevention. The essence of primary prevention is the elimination or reduction of the etiological factors and risk factors for disease development through dissemination of knowledge concerning the causes of cancer and the promotion of healthy behavior.
Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of awareness of young women of the role of dietary factors, an important element of primary prevention, in the prevention of breast cancer.
Materials and methods: The study included 219 young women aged 21.3±1.6 years, students of the External Faculty of Physical Education at the University of Physical Education in Warsaw (hereinafter the EFPE) and the State School of Higher Education (hereinafter SSHE) in Biała Podlaska. In order to gather the necessary information, the authors developed their own questionnaire. The present study is based on respondents’ answers concerning the role of dietary factors.
Results: Approximately 30% of students from the EFPE and over 53% from the SSHE are women living in rural areas. About 24% of mothers of the girls surveyed from the EFPE, and approximately 43% of the SSHEs completed their education at the level of primary or vocational school. Over 57% of the students from the EFPE and about 75% from the SSHE did not realize that the n-6 and n-9 polyunsaturated fatty acids may predispose to breast cancer. The influence of alcohol on the development of breast cancer was known to 50% of the students from the EFPE and 34% of those from the SSHE. Approximately 45% of women from the EFPE and 75% from the SSHE, whose BMI was above 25 kg x m-2, did not know that overweight and obesity have an influence on breast cancer.
Conclusions: The results of the survey indicate a lack of knowledge, particularly among female students of the SSHE, of the role of dietary factors as an important element in the primary prevention of breast cancer. The role of dietary factors in the prevention of breast cancer deserves further study, particularly among women from high-risk groups.
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