title: Levels and correlates of knowledge about cancer risk factors among 13,293 public school students in Morelos, Mexico.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Data on young people's knowledge about cancer prevention are not currently available for many populations, including Mexican young people, although cancer is the second most common cause of death among the Mexican population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was applied to 13,293 public school students aged 11-24 years in Morelos, Mexico. A knowledge-based scale was constructed from survey answers about risk factors for cancer. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic multinomial models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Knowledge levels were low: 78% of male and 74% of female students had only wrong answers to questions about risk factors for cancer. A significant dose-response gradient was observed between age and knowledge of cancer risk factors (P < 0.001), with a higher prevalence in young women at all ages (female students OR 4.6, 95% CI 3.81-5.66). Students 18 years old and older knew more than 13-year-olds (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.89-3.01). Sexually active students (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.70-2.58), especially those who consistently used condoms (OR 2.84; 95% CI 1.00-8.07), knew more about cancer prevention. Tobacco smoking was the most frequently recognized cancer risk factor, and smokers also recognized this as an important cause of cancer (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.44-2.52).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results reveal a poor level of knowledge about cancer prevention among adolescents. These data are the first step in the development of an intervention based on empirical findings that will be susceptible to evaluation.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Autonomous State University of Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pérez-Contreras
authors.forename: Betania
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Velasco
authors.forename: Raffaela
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schiavon-Errnani
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cruz-Valdez
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hernández
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lazcano-Ponce
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires