Overview
- The peer-reviewed analysis of 2024 Health Information National Trends Survey data included 6,793 adults and was published in JAMA Oncology.
- Researchers reported that 52.9% did not know alcohol affects cancer risk, 37.1% said it increases risk, and 1% believed it decreases risk.
- Current drinkers had significantly higher odds of believing alcohol has no effect on cancer risk, with gaps also pronounced among cigarette smokers, non-Hispanic Black adults, and those with lower educational attainment.
- Alcohol is classified by the WHO as a Group 1 carcinogen, and NIH estimates attribute roughly 5.5% of new cancer cases and 5.8% of cancer deaths to drinking, with recent analyses showing rising alcohol-related cancer mortality.
- Authors recommend national education efforts and routine clinician screening and counseling, while noting limitations including the survey’s cross-sectional design and self-reported measures.