Cancer researchers at the University of Dundee are appealing to the local population for their help in a massive international study on lifestyles and cancer. Some 1,800 random adults in Tayside and Fife have been selected to take part in the project, which will help direct future work on the prevention of cancer.
Professor Annie Anderson and her team at the University of Dundee, which has a world reputation for cancer research, constitute one of four centres around the globe to carry out the exercise. The team want to understand more about "how real people live real lives" with a view to using that information to help prevent cancer in the future.
"We very much need the help of the people of Tayside and Fife," says Professor Annie Anderson. " In order to get the most from this study we need a high response rate. The questionnaire is a full one and could take as long as 30 minutes to complete. We know it is a lot to ask but in the past we have always been surprised and delighted at the enthusiasm and support of the people of Tayside and Fife who have taken a very positive interest in cancer research.
"The study is not judgmental in any way. We hope local people will join us in making the Scottish study a success. Everyone who takes part will have the satisfaction of knowing they have done their bit in the fight against cancer."
The questionnaires, which will go out in six batches over the next 12 months, will be sent to adults between 18 and 65 in rural and urban environments, selected at random from the electoral register. The questions cover a range of aspects of people's lives from their eating habits and smoking habits to their body weight and the activities they take part in.
The World Cancer Research Fund, who are funding the study, have made global lifestyle guidelines for the prevention of cancer and while there is a great deal of research into aspects of lifestyles, such as smoking, which heighten the risks, there appears to be nothing in Scotland that brings together all the different bits of information and gives the big picture about how people actually live their lives. If it was available, that information would inform future interventions and help researchers design appropriate research.
The Dundee based study, on which the University of Glasgow's Department of Human Nutrition is a collaborator, is one of four being done internationally. The second European one is in the Netherlands and the other two are in South America - Guatemala and Mexico./ends
Contact: Professor Annie Anderson 01382 660111 ex 36442