Investigation of Cancer Risk Factors in the Lifestyle of Medical Students at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Every year, over 10 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed worldwide. Cancers tend to be closely associated with lifestyle.This study aimed to investigate the lifestyle-related cancer risk factors in the medical students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 270 students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran, who were selected through convenience sampling. Data collection was performed using a lifestyle risk factor questionnaire, which was provided to students online. Data were analyzed with the statistical analysis software SPSS-21 by using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and Mann-Whitney tests at the 0.05 significance level.

All participants were in the age range of 22-25 years old. About 28% of the participants were male and 72% were female. Men showed higher awareness of cancer warning signs than women (p=0.046). Women were more active in taking protection measures against chemical substances than men (p=0.042). Men were in significantly better condition in terms of the use of hormones than women (p=0.048). Married people were also more active in taking protection measures against chemical substances than single people (p=0.042).

Compared to other lifestyle risk factors for cancer, the surveyed medical students had particularly poor “eating habits” and “solar radiation exposure”. About half of the surveyed students had a high level of exposure to sunlight. Therefore, it is highly recommended to implement a program to raise students’ awareness of cancer risk factors and promote healthy lifestyles in this population.