INCA data shows that Brazilians recognize cigarettes, but are unaware of other risk factors
Brazil is expected to register 781 thousand new cases of cancer per year from 2026 to 2028, according to INCA estimates (). Still, 27% of Brazilian adults do not know that the disease can be prevented.
The data is part of the report, carried out by and, with support from the Devive Institute and a technical partnership with INCA.
It is the first nationally representative survey of what Brazilians know, think and do in relation to cancer prevention. 6,566 adults from all states in the country were interviewed between September and October 2025.
Scientific estimates indicate that up to 40% of cancers could be prevented with changes in behavior and environmental exposure. The belief that illness is inevitable may represent a silent barrier to adopting protective behaviors.
WHAT BRAZILIANS RECOGNIZE
Among the factors proven to be associated with an increased risk of cancer, smoking leads the population’s knowledge: 90.5% recognize smoking as a risk factor. Genetic inheritance comes second (89.4%), followed by excessive sun exposure (88.3%). These factors have in common broad media coverage and a history of public campaigns.
Equally relevant factors from an epidemiological point of view are much less recognized. Excess weight is associated with cancer for 54.1% of the population. Sweetened drinks and low intake of fruits and vegetables are recognized as risk factors by 55.3% and 53.3%. A sedentary lifestyle is identified by 48.3%. Red meat is recognized as a risk factor by less than three in ten Brazilians (27.5%).
Genetic inheritance deserves contextualization. Without information about modifiable factors, high recognition of this factor can reinforce a fatalistic perception of cancer as a predetermined and inescapable condition.
MISTAKEN BELIEFS
The survey also revealed misperceptions. More than 61% of Brazilians believe that vitamin and mineral supplements reduce the risk of cancer. According to INCA’s technical area of Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer, there is no evidence that vitamin and mineral supplements prevent the disease. The recommendation is to obtain protective nutrients through a healthy diet, rich in natural and minimally processed foods.
Supplements should only be recommended by healthcare professionals in specific clinical situations, avoiding unnecessary expenses and a false sense of protection encouraged by the supplement industry’s marketing.
On the other hand, four in ten Brazilians still do not recognize breastfeeding as a protective factor against breast cancer. Breastfeeding reduces the risk for those who breastfeed, with a dose-response effect: the longer the time, the greater the benefit.
EATING BEHAVIOR
Around 45% of respondents reported consuming and trying to reduce consumption –higher proportion than those who do not consume (33%) and those who consume without attempting to reduce (around 15%). A similar pattern was observed for sausages and sweetened beverages.
With red meat, the picture is different: around 45% say they consume it without having tried to reduce it, the highest rate among the groups analyzed. This pattern is consistent with the low levels of recognition of red meat as a risk factor and deserves special attention in the Brazilian context, a country that is among the largest cattle producers in the world.
Young people up to 24 years of age have the worst indicators: 32.3% consume ultra-processed foods without the intention of reducing; 24.4% do the same with sweetened drinks, 29.5% with sausages and 49.1% with red meat.
Younger people also have less knowledge of the risk factors associated with these foods. Around 86.3% of the population say they consume fruits and vegetables –and among those who do not consume, 8.3% intend to start.
SEDENTARISM, BODY WEIGHT AND ALCOHOL
In relation to physical activity, 52.2% practice some activity. Among those who do not practice, 39% want to start. People with an income of up to R$2,000 had less knowledge about a sedentary lifestyle as a risk factor (45.5%) compared to those with an income equal to or greater than R$10,000 (59.6%).
Regarding body weight, 48.8% declared themselves to be of a healthy weight. Among those who recognize they are overweight, 31% say they are doing something about it –number that drops to 22.9% among people with income less than R$2,000, compared to more than 40% among the group with income above R$3,000.
Physical inactivity is not a matter of individual choice: lack of safe public spaces, long working hours and unequal access to leisure areas are part of the problem. This is also reflected in unequal access to healthy foods.
As for alcohol –– only 71.3% of Brazilians recognize it as a risk factor. Half of the population (50.1%) states that they do not consume alcoholic beverages; among those who consume, 32.5% have already tried to reduce. Young people up to 24 years of age are those who least intend to reduce: 16.9% say they drink without intending to reduce consumption, compared to 8.7% in the 25 to 59 age group and 7.1% among those over 60 years of age.
MORE DATA, MORE POLICIES
The results show a clear pattern: risk factors with wide media coverage and a history of public campaigns are widely recognized, while factors linked to contemporary lifestyle –diet, weight, sedentary lifestyle and alcohol–still escape the radar. At the same time, a significant portion of the population shows an intention to adopt healthier habits.
Converting this intention into real change requires an integrated agenda: campaigns that increase knowledge about lesser-known people; structural policies such as taxation of ultra-processed foods, alcohol and tobacco, front labeling of food and expansion of spaces for physical activity; and strengthening health services, with expanded access to early diagnosis and smoking cessation programs –with special attention to the most vulnerable populations.
This text was originally published by , on June 3, 2026 at 8:53 am. The content is free for republication, the source is cited, and has been adapted to the standard of Poder360.
