Poor awareness of cancer risk factors in Irish males

Poor knowledge of cancer risk factors among Irish females has previously been reported1. Primary prevention remains the key rec-ommendation to tackle the rising rates of cancer globally. Successful prevention involves identifying the publics ’ perception of cancer risk factors and dispelling any cancer-related myths. Understanding misconception can help to inform cancer prevention programs and ensure their success. The aim of this study is to complete the ﬁ rst national survey on the perception of cancer risk factors in Irish males. A 48-question online survey from a previous study was adapted for male-speci ﬁ c cancers and redistributed to male participants only 1 Any Irish males over the age of 18 was eli-gible to take part. Incomplete or partially complete surveys were excluded. Females and those under 18 were also excluded. The survey-monkey link was advertised via social media, online forums and emailed to external organisations in early 2017 Analysis was conducted via SPSS. There were 995 male respondents, 9% were healthcare professionals (HCPs). Mean (SD) age was 37 (11) years. 75% had post Leaving Certi ﬁ cate education. 4% of the cohort reported being a cancer survivor or currently being treated for cancer. Being worried about developing cancer was reported by 74%. When asked the open-ended question “ in your opinion what are the top 5 risk factors for cancer? ’ , the top responses were smoking (80%), poor diet (71%) and consuming alcohol (48%). It was identi ﬁ ed by 95% that diet plays a signi ﬁ cant role in cancer risk, but when asked about individual dietary factors, knowledge gaps appeared. Only 63% were aware that red meat is a risk factor for cancer. It was thought that organic