Politics_Cancer_Science

Those with conservative political beliefs were 31% less likely than political moderates and 74% less likely than progressives to believe and follow cancer research and therapeutic strategies authenticated by federal health agencies including the CDC and the FDA. This the finding reported after a collaborative study of 3254 respondents by investigators at the University of Texas and Harvard Medical School.

This study depicts the sad reality currently facing American public health efforts. One-third of Americans tend to reject proven medical scientific principles not only putting themselves at risk but also their family, friends, neighbors, and their entire communities. The number dropped following the 2020 election and the advent of CoVid but it remains worrisome.

While rejecting recommended and lifesaving cancer treatment creates personal and familial tragedies, refusing to follow public health recommendations including appropriate vaccination, mask wearing, isolation, and distancing puts everyone at risk. Innocent children, those weakened by other illnesses, and most older Americans can suffer and sadly sometimes die because among the freedoms guaranteed by our American constitution is the freedom to be ignorant. Exercising that freedom is just plain selfish and ultimately self-destructive.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2811327

#misinformation #cancer #publichealth #government #fda #cdc #vaccination #masking #quarantine