title: College students' perceived disease risk versus actual prevalence rates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare college students' perceived disease risk with disease prevalence rates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were analyzed from 625 college students collected with an Internet-based survey. Paired t-tests were used to separately compare participants' perceived 10-year and  lifetime disease risk for 4 diseases: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and overweight/obesity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents estimated their risk of developing heart disease as lower than cancer, yet rated their risk of developing heart disease as higher than diabetes and being overweight/obese.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Incongruence between college students' perceived disease risk and disease prevalence rates calls for improved public health education.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA. matthew.smith@srph.tamhsc.edu
authors.forename: Matthew Lee
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Justin B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Dickerson
authors.forename: Erica T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Sosa
authors.forename: E Lisako
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: J McKyer
authors.forename: Marcia G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ory
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities