The survey was conducted by Av-og-til and the Norwegian Cancer Society from Response Analysis and shows that very few Norwegians are aware that around 3 percent of all cancer cases in Norway can be linked to alcohol use. Of these cases, most are breast and bowel cancers.
Secretary-General of Av-og-til Ragnhild Kaski believes that one reason why very few are aware of this connection between alcohol use and cancer is because there is little talk about the negative consequences of alcohol in society.
– – The more knowledge each of us has, the easier it is for us to make good choices for our own health, says Ragnhild Kaski, Secretary General of Av-og-til. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2
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– We know that very few GPs and health professionals take up alcohol with their patients, and thus awareness of the negative consequences of alcohol is lower, says Kaski.
Tanja Yvonne Alme can confirm that health professionals are not good enough to take the difficult conversations about alcohol with patients. Alme is the professional group leader for NSF’s professional group for cancer nurses and cancer coordinator in Sula municipality.
– Maybe we are afraid to be admonishing and to inflict a bad conscience or extra strain on people, she says.
– Tanja Yvonne Alme is a cancer coordinator in Sula municipality and professional group leader for cancer nurses in the Norwegian Nurses’ Association. Photo: Arne Rovick / TV 2
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– Will surprise many
Alme can also tell that among her colleagues, few are aware that so many cases of cancer can be linked to alcohol.
– Especially this with breast cancer, I think a lot of ladies are surprised by that. This means that alcohol can affect female hormones in the body, which in turn increases the risk of breast cancer, says Alme.
According to Kaski, only 1 in 10 is aware of the link between alcohol use and breast cancer.
Assistant Secretary General of the Norwegian Cancer Society, Ole Alexander Opdalshei, says there are still a number of things that are unclear regarding the cause between alcohol and cancer.
– There are a number of hypotheses and this may in part be due to the fact that alcohol destroys the cells, which in turn causes cancer when they need to be repaired, Opdalshei says.
– Ole Aleksander Oppdalshei, assistant general secretary of the Norwegian Cancer Society, believes that there is a need to be better informed about the connection between alcohol use and specific cancers. Photo: Jonas Been Henriksen / TV 2
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More information
He also emphasizes that people need more information about the dangerous consequences of alcohol.
– Here we may not have been good enough to inform that there is a connection between alcohol use and the risk of cancer, and that is precisely why this campaign is so important to us, says Opdalshei.
The Norwegian Cancer Society and Av-og-til have now joined forces on a campaign to disseminate information about the connection between alcohol use and cancer.
It is allowed to enjoy
But it should still be allowed to enjoy a glass of wine without having a bad conscience. This is the opinion of Alme, who emphasizes that this can be important for a good quality of life.
– It is important to have a good balance in life and use common sense, but then you have to think about how often and how much, she says.
Alme believes it is important to have good knowledge so that you can make a choice yourself.
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