An Overview of the Lifestyle Patterns and Cancer in India

Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. About 1 in 6 deaths is due to cancer. Cancer is caused by the tendencies and the triggers. Tendencies refer to hereditary or genetic factors while the triggers can arise from the environment, from one's lifestyle or from some virus. The lifestyle factors include smoking, improper diet, alcohol, infections, physical inactivity and so on. According to the Cancer Foundation of India (CFI), Kolkata, 60–70 per cent cancer cases in India are lifestyle oriented. This paper is an analytical and descriptive one. It seeks to describe the role of lifestyle patterns in the causation of cancer in India. The work is based on secondary data.The findings indicate that of all cancer related deaths, almost 25–30% is due to tobacco, 30–35% is linked to diet, about 15–20% is due to infections and the remaining percentage is due to other factors.In India more than 1 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed every year. Although some authors argue that the risk factors in the causation of cancer in India are almost same as in other parts of the world, the specific socioeconomic patterns and bio-cultural factors necessitate exploring other causation trajectories. Research reveals that unhealthy diet, tobacco use, alcohol and drug consumption, low physical activity are responsible for 8, 4.8, 2.5, 0.8 per cent cancer causation in India respectively. Unhealthy lifestyles make a significant contribution to ill health and mortality. Increased public awareness of the links between lifestyles and cancer is the need of the hour as it might help people understand the health consequences of their actions and encourage them to make much needed lifestyle changes.