The Association of Demographic, Educational, and Behavioural Factors With Awareness of Alcohol-Related Carcinogenic Health Risks Among 3rd Year Lsmu Medical Students

Introduction According to WHO, in 2018, 180 000 cancer cases and 92 000 deaths were attributed to alcohol consumption in the European Region [1]. Seven cancers are linked to alcohol: oral, pharyngeal, laryngeal, esophageal, hepatic, colorectal, and breast [2-10]. Nonetheless, public awareness of alcohol-cancer link, especially for breast cancer risk, remains low. [11]. Aim To examine associations between demographic, educational, and behavioral factors and awareness of alcoholrelated cancer risks among third-year medical students at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at LSMU in December 2023 with LSMU Bioethics Center approval. A selfadministered questionnaire was distributed to 162 third-year General Medicine students, yielding 160 responses (99% response rate). It assessed awareness of alcohol-related cancer risks by asking participants to identify cancers for which alcohol is classified as Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Participants selected from a list of 16 cancer types, of which 7 were correct. Alcohol consumption patterns were evaluated using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test – Consumption (AUDIT-C). Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 29.0. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequency counts and percentages. Mann–Whitney U and Kruskal–Wallis tests analyzed continuous variables, and chi-square tests assessed categorical variables. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results Smoking was recognized as the most common cancer risk factor (57.3%), while only 12.2% identified alcohol. Recognition was highest for hepatic cancer (91.4%) and lowest for breast cancer (13.8%). Only 5.3% correctly identified all seven IARC Group 1 alcohol-related cancers, and none selected only these. The most common false positives were bowel (55.0%), renal (51.9%), and pancreatic cancer (51.3%), which lack IARC Group 1 links to alcohol. Older students were less likely to associate bowel cancer with alcohol (χ² = 9.744, p = 0.021). A family history of cancer improved esophageal cancer awareness (χ² = 4.460, p = 0.019) but reduced bowel cancer knowledge (χ² = 6.196, p = 0.013). Students without a family history of alcohol use disorder (AUD) were more likely to reject false risks for pancreatic (χ² = 4.379, p = 0.036) and prostate cancer (χ² = 4.977, p = 0.026). Gender, parental education, and personal alcohol consumption had no significant impact on awareness levels (p > 0.05). Conclusions Awareness of alcohol-related cancer risks among 3rd medical students was significantly associated with age, family history of cancer, and alcohol use disorder. Gender, parental education, and personal alcohol consumption had minimal impact. This study highlights gaps in medical students’ understanding of alcohol-related cancer risks, emphasizing the need for enhanced medical education.