Socio-demographic variation in adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Cancer Prevention Recommendations within the UK Biobank prospective cohort study

Malcomson, F. C., Parra-Soto, S., Lu, L., Ho, F., Celis-Morales, C. , Sharp, L. and Mathers, J. C. (2023) Socio-demographic variation in adherence to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Cancer Prevention Recommendations within the UK Biobank prospective cohort study. Journal of Public Health, fdad218. (doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdad218) (PMID:37986550) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Background: The 2018 (WCRF)/American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Cancer Prevention Recommendations are evidence-based lifestyle recommendations which aim to reduce the risk of cancer worldwide. Sociodemographic factors modulate lifestyle behaviours, and both cancer incidence and survival are socio-economically patterned. We investigated adherence to these recommendations and examined patterns of adherence across sociodemographic subgroups in the UK Biobank cohort. Methods: We included 158 415 UK Biobank participants (mean age 56 years, 53% female). Total adherence scores were derived from dietary, physical activity and anthropometric data using the 2018 WCRF/AICR standardized scoring system. One-Way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences in total scores and in values for individual score components according to sociodemographic factors and Pearson’s Χ2 test to investigate associations between sociodemographic factors according to tertiles of adherence score. Results: Mean total adherence score was 3.85 points (SD 1.05, range 0–7 points). Higher total scores were observed in females, and older (>57 years), Chinese or South Asian, and more educated participants. We found significant variations in adherence to individual recommendations by sociodemographic factors including education, Townsend deprivation index and ethnicity. Conclusions: Identifying and understanding lifestyle and dietary patterns according to sociodemographic factors could help to guide public health strategies for the prevention of cancers and other non-communicable diseases.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: This work was supported by the Wereld Kanker Onderzoek Fonds (WKOF), as part of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International grant programme [grant number IIG_FULL_2020_032]. SPS received financial support from the Chilean Government for their PhD ]ANID-Becas Chile, project 72200012].
• Keywords: Cancer prevention recommendations, lifestyle, cancer risk, UK Biobank.
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Celis, Dr Carlos and Ho, Dr Frederick and Parra, Solange and Lu, Liya
• Authors: Malcomson, F. C., Parra-Soto, S., Lu, L., Ho, F., Celis-Morales, C., Sharp, L., and Mathers, J. C.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health
• Journal Name: Journal of Public Health
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 1741-3842
• ISSN (Online): 1741-3850
• Published Online: 20 November 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s)
• First Published: First published in Journal of Public Health 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons license