Limited public knowledge of obesity and endometrial cancer risk: What women know

OBJECTIVE: To estimate if women in the general population are aware of the relationship between obesity and cancer risk, and to identify groups who may benefit from educational programs. METHODS: A self-administered survey was distributed to women in the Houston community. The questions were taken from a bank of validated questions published by the Center for Disease Control, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Harvard Forums on Health Survey. Demographic information and participant knowledge of obesity-related cancer risk was collected. Logistic regression and Cochran-Armitage tests for trend were use to assess the association between predictor variables and knowledge. RESULTS: One thousand five hundred forty-five women completed the survey; 28% were normal weight (body mass index [BMI] less than 25 kg/m), 24% were overweight (BMI 25-30 kg/m), and 45% were obese (BMI at least 30 kg/m). Fifty-eight percent (95% confidence interval 56-61%) were not aware that obesity increased risk for endometrial cancer. There was no difference in knowledge of endometrial cancer risk associated with any of the demographic characteristics studied. Black women were the most likely to respond that they did not know about the relationship between obesity and cancer. There was no association between personal weight and knowledge of obesity-associated risk. CONCLUSION: There is limited knowledge of the relationship between obesity and cancer risk, particularly among black women. Patient education regarding these risks may increase awareness of the relationship between obesity and endometrial cancer among women.