Brits ignorant of cancer risk
January 5, 2007 by admin
Filed under News, News-Insurance
A survey by Cancer Research UK has highlighted that many British people are burying their heads in the sand when it comes to cancer.
The findings have led to a number of insurance industry figures calling for greater emphasis to be put on educating people about the disease and what they can do to prevent it.
The chances of developing cancer were put down to fate by a huge 27 per cent of people in Britain, with these respondents believing that lifestyle had little or no effect.
Aside from the obvious physical effects of cancer, those who are diagnosed are often left financially vulnerable during treatment if they do not have insurance as they may be prevented from working.
With this in mind, Virgin Cancer Cover was launched, and Scott Mowbray from Virgin Money says ignorance of the disease’s contributing factors can be very dangerous.
“The results of this survey are very alarming,” he said. “When we launched Virgin Cancer Cover last year we were criticised for drawing attention to the fact that one in six of us will get some form of cancer before the age of 70.
“However, it’s clear there’s still a frightening number of people burying their heads in the sand not only about their chances of getting cancer in their lifetime but also the steps they can personally take to reduce their risk of getting the disease and protect themselves against the financial burden of getting cancer.”
Cancer Research UK has launched the Reduce the Risk campaign, which is aimed at encouraging people to learn about the changes they can make to lead healthier lives and reduce the risk of developing cancer.
