WASHINGTON — A family history of colorectal cancer did not predict healthier lifestyles in a study of 32,374 subjects, Dr. Harvey J. Murff reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
No significant differences in diet, vitamin use, alcohol use, or level of physical activity were found between people with a family history of colorectal cancer and those with no such history, Dr. Murff wrote in a poster.
However, significantly more people with family histories reported being screened for colorectal cancer, compared with people who had no such history (70% vs. 49%). In addition, individuals who had family histories of colorectal cancer were more likely to have been smokers than those with no history, but the difference was not statistically significant.
Dr. Murff and his colleagues at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., reviewed subjects' responses to questions about diet and lifestyle from the Cancer Control Module of the 2000 National Health Interview Survey; respondents with prior diagnoses of colorectal cancer were excluded.
On the basis of these findings, “individuals with positive family histories … might benefit from targeted lifestyle modification interventions,” the investigators said.