Overweight and Obese Patients Do not Seem to Adequately Recognize their Own Risk for Colorectal Cancer

Being overweight is a risk factor for colorectal cancer; patients' adequate perception of their risk may lead to better involvement in management. The purpose of this study was to measure perception of risk for colorectal cancer in overweight and obese patients. A consecutive sample of overweight adult patients (n = 195) attending to nutritional counseling was submitted to clinical questionnaire addressing personal and family data, awareness about colorectal cancer risk factors, health status, and estimates of their own risk. Only 32% identified obesity among CCR risk factors. For 57% of participants, their own current BMI status did not confer any increased risk for CRC. Also, for half (46%) of the patients, their BMI status will not lead to an increased risk during lifetime. For 36%, an increased risk was accurately estimated as two or more. Accurate estimates tend to be made by older patients (p = 0.033), those with GI complaints (p = 0.040), or with familial history (p = 0.016). Even among patients attending to a nutritional consultation, only a third of patients seem to adequately consider their own overweight as a potential risk for colorectal cancer during lifetime. Practice implications: health education programs concerning obesity must include colorectal cancer as a potential outcome for overweight patients.