Public education and cancer control.
OBJECTIVE
To provide an overview of public education efforts in tobacco, obesity, environmental health, and cancer screening.


METHODS
Cochrane, AHRQ, the CDC's Guide to Community Preventive Services, and other reviews.


CONCLUSIONS
Major changes in rates of smoking and cancer screening attest to the effectiveness of public education efforts. Diet and physical activity have more resistant behaviors. Communication technologies offer possibilities for connecting people with the education they need.


CONCLUSIONS
Nurses can play important roles in public education by helping to overcome people's misperceptions and biases related to cancer. There also may be an important role for nurses as information brokers.
Rimer
Barbara K
BK
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. brimer@email.unc.edu
Gierisch
Jennifer M
JM
D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000451:nursing; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009859:Oncology Nursing; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011634:Public Health; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D000074606:Smoking Prevention