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Everything causes cancer? Beliefs and attitudes towards cancer prevention among anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, and reptilian conspiracists: online cross sectional survey.

Sonia PaytubiYolanda BenaventeAlexandra MontoliuGemma BinefaMaria BrotonsRaquel IbáñezCristian OchoaPaula Peremiquel-TrillasBeatriz SerranoNoémie TravierLaia AlemanyLaura Costas
Published in: BMJ (Clinical research ed.) (2022)
Almost half of the participants agreed that "It seems like everything causes cancer," which highlights the difficulty that society encounters in differentiating actual and mythical causes owing to mass information. People who believed in conspiracies, rejected the covid-19 vaccine, or preferred alternative medicine were more likely to endorse the mythical causes of cancer than their counterparts but were less likely to endorse the actual causes of cancer. These results suggest a direct connection between digital misinformation and consequent erroneous health decisions, which may represent a further preventable fraction of cancer.
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