Personalised cancer risk information to promote behaviour change
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the potential for using personalised cancer risk information to promote behaviour change
IRAS ID
180858
Contact name
Juliet Usher-Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
609/M/C/1456, University of Cambridge Insurance
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
It is estimated that approximately 40% of all cases of cancer are attributable to lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, weight and physical exercise, and nearly 600,000 cancer cases in the UK could have been avoided in the past 5 years if people had healthier lifestyles. A number of risk tools are now available which predict an individual’s future risk of cancer. Being able to estimate, communicate and monitor individual risk and demonstrate the impact of tailored lifestyle change on future risk of cancer may motivate change at an individual level and complement wider collective approaches to shifting population distributions of behaviour and risk factors. There remains uncertainty, however, over the impact of the use of such risk tools and how best to implement them in order to maximise benefits whilst minimising harms such as medicalisation, anxiety and false reassurance.
The aim of this research is to explore the views of the general public and key stakeholders on implementation. Using risk calculators developed from UK Biobank we will conduct semi-structured interviews and focus groups with members of the public and with key stakeholders, including GPs, primary care healthcare teams, and GP commissioners, to explore their views on presenting personalised risk information about the risk of developing common cancers in general and specifically their views on different representations of that risk and the timing and site of delivery of the information.
The results from this research will help inform how we can best use personalised modifiable cancer risk information to help motivate behavioural changes.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EE/0310
Date of REC Opinion
9 Oct 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion