Opinions on the effect of alcohol on cancer risk among US adults in 2024.

Public trust in scientists is essential for effective cancer communication and uptake of cancer control strategies. However, growing political polarization in the US may affect trust in scientific authorities. To determine whether political ideology is associated with trust in scientists as sources of cancer information, and whether individuals with more conservative political views would report lower levels of trust in scientists. This survey study is a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey, a nationally representative survey conducted by the National Cancer Institute. This population-based sample of noninstitutionalized US adults was collected by mail using a stratified random sampling frame from March to September 2024. Respondents were aged 18 years or older and demographically diverse. The sample was weighted to be representative of the US adult population. Political ideology measured on a 7-point bipolar scale from very liberal to very conservative. Trust in scientists for cancer information, dichotomized as high (some or a lot) vs low (not at all or a little). Survey-weighted logistic regression models were used to estimate associations. Of 7278 respondents (response rate, 27.3%), 6260 were included in the final analytic sample after excluding cases with missing data on the primary exposure or outcome. The mean age was 48.4 years (95% CI, 47.9-48.9 years). There were 52.1% men (95% CI, 51.2%-53.0%), and 35.1% reported a college degree (95% CI, 34.5%-35.7%). Most respondents (5320 individuals ) reported high trust in scientists as sources of cancer information (86.0%; 95% CI, 84.4%-87.5%). In adjusted logistic regression models, each 1-point increase toward greater conservatism was associated with a 25% decrease in the odds of reporting high trust (adjusted odds ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.68-0.83). Adjusted estimated probabilities of high trust decreased across the political spectrum, from 93.7% those identifying as liberal (95% CI, 88.3%-96.7%) to 70.5% among those identifying as very conservative (95% CI, 63.9%-76.4%). In this survey study of US adults, overall trust in scientists as sources of cancer information was high. However, a clear ideological gradient suggests the need for tailored messaging and trusted messengers to reach politically diverse audiences with evidence-based cancer information.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors and Risk of Esophageal and Gastric Cancer: A Nested Case-Control Study

Limitations in American adults' awareness of and beliefs about alcohol as a risk factor for cancer.

To determine whether social media use, alcohol consumption, and sociodemographic factors predicted Americans' knowledge about alcohol-related cancer risk. Health Information National Trends Survey (2020). United States. A nationally representative sample (N = 3865; response rate = 36.7%). Knowledge about cancer risk of beer, wine, and liquor; social media use; demographics; smoking status; alcohol consumption; and cancer history. Data were analyzed using multinomial multiple logistic regression with jackknife replicate weights. Less than a third of U.S. adults (20.34-31.20%) were aware of cancer risk of alcohol. People who watched health-related YouTube videos were more likely to be well-informed (odds ratio [OR] = 1.55 [95% confidence interval 1.01, 2.36] for beer) and misinformed (OR = 1.68 [1.17, 2.43] for wine). Alcohol consumption predicted higher likelihoods of being misinformed about cancer risk of beer (OR = 1.03 [1.003, 1.05]). People who were older and had less education were less likely to be well-informed for all types of alcohol. Females (for liquor) and Blacks (for beer) were less likely to be well-informed and misinformed. Social media can be a source of both correct information and misinformation about alcohol and cancer risk. Health promotion should target older adults, people with less education, racial minorities, females, and people who consume alcohol.

Correlates of knowledge of clinical trials among U.S. adults: Findings from the 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey

To assess the joint effect of smoking and alcohol consumption on laryngeal risk on tumor subsites. Population-based case-control study in South-West Germany with 257 histologically confirmed cases (236 males, 21 females), age 37 to 80 years, and 769 population controls (702 males, 67 females), 1:3 frequency matched by age and sex. Half of the tumors (50.6%) were glottic or subglottic, 17.5% were supraglottic. Due to advanced stage, the subsite of 31.9% of the tumors could not be determined clearly. There is a strong increase in risk with increasing tobacco consumption with an odds ratio (OR) of 59.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 21.3-167.3) for heavy smoking (>80 packyears (py)), all cases combined. In comparison to current smokers, cancer risk is reduced for ex-smoking (>2 years) OR=0.36, 95% CI 0.24-0.53. The risks were higher for supraglottic than for glottic and subglottic tumors. The effect of alcohol is not as strong. A significantly increased odds ratio of 2.0, 95% CI (1.0-3.9) results for 75-100 g ethanol/day only for glottic and subglottic tumors. The OR rises from 2.2, 95% CI (1.1-4.3) for 100-150 g ethanol/day to 4.3, 95% CI (1.4-13.2) for more than 150 g ethanol/day (all models adjusted for education). The joint effect of smoking and alcohol results appears sub-multiplicative but super-additive. Almost 90% of the tumors can be attributed to both factors. Contrary to earlier investigations we observed a sub-multiplicative effect of smoking and alcohol. The risk for persons with both high alcohol and tobacco consumption is extremely high which indicates the importance of intervention.

BackgroundOver the past two decades, use of social media has grown among US adults. Common social media platforms include Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok. People proactively use social media for a variety of purposes including searching for health information, peer-to-peer social support, and health-related information sharing. As these platforms often serve as sources of health information, understanding how, if at all, people use them may inform future behavioral interventions delivered via social media. Additionally, a better understanding of social engagement may have implications for public health messaging and patient-centered communication.ObjectiveUsing a nationally representative sample of US adults, we explored how factors including subjective numeracy (ie, ease of understanding medical statistics), interpersonal communication with family and friends, and perceived discrimination influence whether people ever watched versus never watched health-related videos on social media platforms.MethodsWe analyzed the National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey data, which were collected from March to November 2022 (n=6252). After excluding participants who did not have complete data for all variables of interest, we analyzed responses from 4543 participants. Respondents were asked, “In the past 12 months, how often did you watch a health-related video on a social media site (eg, YouTube)?” Response options included: almost every day, at least once a week, a few times a month, less than once a month, and never. We collapsed answers into ever or never watched. Odds ratios (OR), 95% CIs, and P values were calculated. A multivariate logistic regression model was considered using all factors that were univariately significant (P<.10). Using backward elimination, factors that were not significant with P>.05 were removed one by one until remaining factors were all significant collectively (P<.05).ResultsOf 4543 adults analyzed, 61.5% reported watching at least one health-related video in the past 12 months, whereas 38.5% had never watched one. In the multivariable analysis, all age group categories over 50 years were less likely to watch health-related videos compared to those aged 18‐34 years, with respondents aged ≥75 years having the lowest odds of all groups for watching a health-related video (OR 0.16, P<.001). Higher odds of watching health-related videos were observed among respondents who were Black (OR 1.59, P<.01), Hispanic (OR 1.54, P=.01), and from “Other” minority groups (OR 2.07, P=.01) compared to White respondents. College graduates (OR 1.71, P<.01) and those who found medical statistics easy to understand (OR 1.29, P=.04), talked about health with friends or family (OR 1.68, P<.01), or experienced racial discrimination in medical care (OR 1.59, P=.02) also had higher odds of watching health-related videos on social media.ConclusionsFindings from this study may help target health communication campaigns on social media designed to improve screening, lifestyle changes, medication adherence, and disease management.

Social media (SM) has emerged as a tool for health-related usage among US adults, including cancer screening promotion. Here, we aimed to assess the differences in health-related SM use between US and foreign-born adults and the relationship between health-related SM use and colorectal (CRC) screening practices. Using data from the fifth edition of the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS 5), cycle 2, we compared the differences in health-related SM use between US and foreign-born adults and the effects of SM use on CRC screening by country of birth. We included adults aged 50-75 and excluded participants with a history of CRC. The primary endpoint was CRC screening, which was determined by self-reported CRC screening using colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or stool occult blood testing. Our study included 1,812 adults, of whom 236 (13.0%) were foreign-born. Most participants (72.1%) reported undergoing CRC screening. Interestingly, we found no discernible difference in health-related SM use [odds ratio [OR] 0.91; 95% CI (0.49, 1.69)] between US and foreign-born adults. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that SM use did not influence CRC screening practices among either group (US-born: 0.88 [95% CI: 0.50, 1.52], foreign-born 0.52 [0.10, 2.51]). Contrary to previous studies, which showed a positive relationship between SM use and satisfactory health-related practices, we found that although foreign-born adults use SM as much as US-born adults, there was no significant relationship between SM use and CRC screening.

Nearly 70% of Americans use the internet as their first source of information for health-related questions. Contemporary data on the consumption of web-based videos containing health information among American adults by urbanity or rurality is currently unavailable, and its link with health topic awareness, particularly for human papillomavirus (HPV), is not known. We aim to describe trends and patterns in the consumption of health-related videos on social media from an urban-rural context, examine the association between exposure to health-related videos on social media and awareness of health topics (ie, HPV and HPV vaccine), and understand public interest in HPV-related video content through search terms and engagement analytics. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the US Health Information National Trends Survey 6, a nationally representative survey that collects data from civilian, noninstitutionalized adults aged 18 years or older residing in the United States. Bivariable analyses were used to estimate the prevalence of consumption of health-related videos on social media among US adults overall and by urbanity or rurality. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between the consumption of health-related videos and HPV awareness among urban and rural adults. To provide additional context on the public's interest in HPV-specific video content, we examined search volumes (quantitative) and related query searches (qualitative) for the terms "HPV" and "HPV vaccine" on YouTube. In 2022, 59.6% of US adults (152.3 million) consumed health-related videos on social media, an increase of nearly 100% from 2017 to 2022. Prevalence increased among adults living in both urban (from 31.4% in 2017 to 59.8% in 2022; P<.001) and rural (from 22.4% in 2017 to 58% in 2022; P<.001) regions. Within the urban and rural groups, consumption of health-related videos on social media was most prevalent among adults aged between 18 and 40 years and college graduates or higher-educated adults. Among both urban and rural groups, adults who consumed health-related videos had a significantly higher probability of being aware of HPV and the HPV vaccine compared with those who did not watch health videos on the internet. The term "HPV" was more frequently searched on YouTube compared with "HPV vaccine." Individuals were most commonly searching for videos that covered content about the HPV vaccine, HPV in males, and side effects of the HPV vaccine. The consumption of health-related videos on social media in the United States increased dramatically between 2017 and 2022. The rise was prominent among both urban and rural adults. Watching a health-related video on social media was associated with a greater probability of being aware of HPV and the HPV vaccine. Additional research on designing and developing social media strategies is needed to increase public awareness of health topics.

To describe US adults' levels of support, neutrality and opposition to restricting junk food advertising to children on social media and explore associations with socio-demographic and health-related characteristics. In 2020-2021, we used cross-sectional data from the National Cancer Institute's 2020 Health Information National Trends Survey to estimate the prevalence of opinions towards advertising restrictions and correlates of neutrality and opposition using weighted multivariable logistic regression. United States. Adults aged 18+ years. Among the analytic sample (n 2852), 54 % of adults were neutral or opposed to junk food advertising restrictions on social media. The odds of being neutral or opposed were higher among Non-Hispanic Black adults (v. non-Hispanic White; OR: 2·03 (95 % CI 1·26, 3·26)); those completing some college (OR: 1·68 (95 % CI 1·20, 2·34)) or high school or less (OR: 2·62 (95 % CI 1·74, 3·96)) (v. those with a college degree); those who were overweight (v. normal weight; OR: 1·42 (95 % CI: 1·05, 1·93)) and those reporting a moderate (OR: 1·45 (95 % CI 1·13, 1·88)) or conservative (OR: 1·71 (95 % CI 1·24, 2·35)) political viewpoint (v. liberal). Having strong (v. weaker) weight and diet-related cancer beliefs was associated with 53 % lower odds of being neutral or opposed to advertising restrictions (OR: 0·47 (95 % CI 0·36, 0·61)). The current study identified subgroups of US adults for whom targeted communication strategies may increase support for policies to improve children's food environment.

While some health behaviors may help reduce risk of cancer, beliefs about which behaviors affect cancer risk and the preventability of cancer vary within the population. The purpose of this study was to assess beliefs about cancer prevention behaviors and cancer fatalism. The sample consisted of 6252 respondents from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS). Multivariable ordinal regression models were used to find the odds of believing health behaviors increased cancer risk by demographics, health behaviors, and cancer fatalism beliefs. Female respondents had higher odds of believing drinking alcohol, processed meat, red meat, and fast food increased cancer risk a lot (all p < 0.05). Black, Hispanic, and Other race respondents had higher odds of believing that processed meat increases cancer risk, while Hispanic respondents also had higher odds of believing soda, alcohol, red meat, fast food, and not enough fruits and vegetables increase risk (all p < 0.05). Those who feel "A lot" or "Some" progress has been made in preventing cancer had higher odds of believing drinking soda (OR (95% CI) 1.49 (1.16-1.91)), drinking alcohol (OR (95% CI) 1.82 (1.28-2.59)), processed meat (OR (95% CI) 1.84 (1.11-3.04)), red meat (OR (95% CI) 1.67 (1.24-2.24)), and not enough fruits and vegetables (OR (95% CI) 1.39 (1.01-1.92)) increased cancer risk. While most people believe nutrition, alcohol, and sleep have some effect on cancer risk, women, older adults, and races other than White are more likely to believe multiple behaviors increase risk a lot. Cancer prevention information should help inform which behaviors affect risk but also focus on helping people make realistic behavior changes.

in which some of the key issues surrounding the topic were discussed. Compared with lifetime abstainers, those who reported drinking on a daily basis or apart from food had a significantly higher risk of hypertension, but this effect disappeared after accounting for the amount of alcohol consumed in the previous 30 days. When current drinkers only were studied and adjustment made for the amount of alcohol consumed in the previous 30 days, the risk of being hypertensive increased (64%) only in those who said they drank without food. Preference for any one type of beverage did not influence the association but the important potential confounder of dietary habits was not assessed. Nevertheless this finding was consistent with an earlier study of Italian wine drinkers coming from a different cultural background,4 and a follow-up in that population showed drinking alcohol outside of meals was associated with higher risk of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease. Similar relationships were seen between drinking outside of meals or snacks and increased risk of myocardial infarction in a recent case control study in men.5

BackgroundWe live in a digital age where social media has become an essential part of people’s lives. It is also one of the leading platforms responsible for spreading health-related falsehoods. This study explores who adults of different age groups perceive as responsible for reducing health-related falsehoods on social media.ObjectiveDespite growing concern over older adults’ exposure to false health information on social media, little research examines their beliefs on how to address the problem. This study examines how the age of US adults is associated with their reported experiences with health-related falsehoods on social media and their beliefs about who should be tasked with reducing such falsehoods.MethodsThis study is a secondary analysis of data from the 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey, a nationally representative survey of US adults (18 years and older). Multivariable logistic regressions estimated how a respondent’s age was associated with their self-reported social media use, their difficulty to detect health-related falsehoods on social media, their discussion of health information found on social media with medical providers, and their beliefs regarding who should be responsible for reducing health-related falsehoods on social media. Regression estimates were adjusted for respondents’ sociodemographic and health characteristics.ResultsDaily social media use decreased with respondents’ age. Respondents aged 50‐64 years (b=0.515, P=.01) and 65‐74 years (b=0.697, P=.002) were more likely than respondents aged 18‐34 years to report they strongly agree that it is difficult for them to detect health-related falsehoods on social media. Compared to younger adults, older adults (65‐74 years: b=0.818, P=.002; 75 years and older: b=1.058, P<.001) were more likely to believe medical providers should be responsible for reducing online falsehoods.ConclusionsIn addition to ongoing efforts by social media platforms to detect and remove falsehoods, the findings suggest medical providers should be tasked with discrediting health-related falsehoods on social media for older adults. However, time during the clinical visit is limited. Future research is needed to discover new approaches and tools tailored to older adults to assist with filtering and discrediting health-related falsehoods on social media.

Dissemination of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (Guidelines) is needed, but how individuals respond to the Guidelines is not well understood. This surveillance study describes US adults' reported responses to and information sources for hearing about the Guidelines and explores relationships between how respondents heard about the Guidelines and their reported response(s). Data were analyzed from the population-based 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey 5 Cycle 3. Population-weighted proportions of response were calculated. Among those who had heard about the Guidelines, binary logistic regressions examined associations between the reported response(s) and the information source and number of sources reported. The analytical sample included 5047 adults. Nearly 65% of US adults reported hearing about the Guidelines, and 29% reported a behavioral response (eg, increased physical activity). Hearing about the Guidelines through health professionals (adjusted odds ratio = 2.30, 95% confidence interval, 1.45-3.65) or social media (adjusted odds ratio = 1.89, 95% confidence interval, 1.20-2.96) (vs other sources) was associated with reporting increasing physical activity. Hearing from multiple sources (vs one source) was associated with reporting increasing physical activity (adjusted odds ratio = 1.97, 95% confidence interval, 1.18-3.31). Findings suggest dissemination of the Guidelines across multiple channels may promote greater changes in physical activity.

The number of social media users has increased substantially in the past decade, creating an opportunity for health-care professionals and patients to leverage social media for health communication. This study examines the recent use and predictors of social media for health communication in a nationally representative sample of US adults over time. We used 2013, 2014, and 2017 National Cancer Institute’s Health Information National Trends Survey to identify respondents’ use of social media for sharing health information or exchanging medical information with a health-care professional. We conducted bivariate analysis using the Pearson χ2 test to assess the association of respondents’ basic demographic characteristics as well as health status and the use of social media for health communication. We performed multivariable logistic regression models to examine factors associated with the use of social media for health communication. We identified 4242 respondents (weighted sample size: 343 465 241 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for sharing health information and 4834 respondents (weighted sample size: 354 419 489 [2-year pooled sample]) who used social media for exchanging medical information. Multivariable analyses indicated the proportion of respondents who used social media for sharing health information has decreased (odds ratio [OR], 0.65; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.49-0.85, P = .002), while the use of social media for exchanging medical information with a health-care professional has increased (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.09-3.26, P = .025). The younger population had significantly higher odds of using social media for health communication. The study found no racial/ethnic disparities in the use of social media for health communication. Use of social media for sharing health information has declined, while exchanging medical information with health-care professionals has increased. Future research is needed to determine how to engage the population in social media–based health interventions, particularly for older adults.