Health promotion activities that maximise cancer prevention are an effective way to reduce the burden of cancers and alleviate pressure on all subsequent stages of the cancer care continuum. A holistic approach to cancer prevention focuses on creating enabling environments where people are supported and empowered to make evidence-based decisions and behaviour changes that reduce their risk of cancer.
Activities to achieve this 2-year action may include:
Primary prevention activities include raising awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviours that can reduce cancer risk, such as quitting smoking, reducing alcohol consumption, consuming a healthy diet, being physically active, and being sun smart, as well as addressing factors beyond the health system, including social, cultural, commercial, and environmental drivers of cancer risk that influence the adoption of preventive behaviours. Additionally, because some cancers are linked to viruses like the human papillomavirus (HPV) or hepatitis B,[97] effective primary prevention activities should also improve access to and uptake of immunisation programs, for under-immunised populations.
Secondary prevention activities involve detecting and treating cancers as early as possible, through screening and surveillance for cancer before symptoms appear, detecting signs and symptoms early in people who are symptomatic and encouraging personal strategies to reduce the impact of cancers and reduce the risk of recurrence, such as smoking cessation after a cancer diagnosis.
This action indicates the need to improve access to, and the experience and convenience of, population screening for consumers, including focusing on primary care engagement. As evidence emerges, new screening approaches in existing programs and new cancer screening programs may be adopted to better target risk (for example, through genetic testing, assessment of smoking status, family history, and breast density measurement) to increase effectiveness of early detection.
Primary and secondary prevention activities can encourage risk recognition and symptom awareness by consumers, improving early detection of cancers.
Health promotion activities will be more effective if they are designed to be equitable and accessible to all Australians, with additional consideration for priority population groups. This includes co-designing with communities to create culturally safe and responsive activities that are tailored, in-language and delivered in a wide range of settings, such as in schools, regional and remote communities, correctional facilities, pop-up clinics, and online.
The development of national guidelines on culturally safe and responsive resources will benefit the implementation of programs for both primary and secondary prevention activities.