Adherence to the world cancer prevention recommendations in Chile ‒ An analysis of the national survey of food consumption.

INTRODUCTION: cancer is a global public health problem, with modifiable lifestyle factors contributing to nearly half of cancer-related deaths. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) have proposed global recommendations for prevention, yet adherence to these in Chile remains understudied. OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the association between adherence to 2018 WCRF/AICR recommendations and sociodemographic characteristics in the Chilean population using data from 2010 National Food Consumption Survey. METHODS: a cross-sectional study was conducted including 3,065 Chilean adults, with age above 18, 66,9 % women. Adherence was measured using the WCRF/AICR score. The score includes domains on physical activity and diet with a scoring system going from 0-7, where the highest score suggested greatest adherence. RESULTS: the average adherence score was 4.33 ± 0.85, with a minimum of 1.25 to a max of 6.5. Women demonstrated higher adherence, particularly in limiting alcohol and processed food intake, while men had better adherence to limiting fast food. Higher adherence to the recommendations to a healthy weight, a diet rich in wholegrains, limit the consumption of fast food, red and processed meat were also observed among individuals with lower socioeconomic status and residents of the northern and southern zones. CONCLUSION: this is the first nationally representative study to assess adherence to the WCRF/AICR recommendations in Chile. Adherence varies by sex, residence, and socioeconomic status, underscoring the need for targeted public health interventions. Future research should continue to work on understanding adherence in the general population and at-risk groups, but also on barriers and facilitators of adherence that influence it.