Smartphones: Innovative Tools in Cancer Prevention

Smartphones: Innovative Tools in Cancer Prevention

Nuno Ribeiro, Luís Miguel Nunes Silva Alves Moreira, Ana Margarida Pisco Almeida, Manuel Filipe Santos
Copyright: © 2016 |Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9978-6.ch081
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Cancer Prevention Using Smartphones

Population-wide measures targeting behaviors like inadequate sun exposure, smoking, excessive alcohol use, eating a poor diet, and physical inactivity could reduce overall cancer incidence in fifty per cent (Stein & Colditz, 2004). The European Code Against Cancer (Boyle et al., 2003) defines the following guidelines: (1) Do not smoke; (2) Avoid obesity; (3) Undertake some brisk physical activity every day; (4) Increase daily intake of vegetables and fruits (at least five servings per day); (5) Limit alcohol consumption to one or two drinks per day (women and men, respectively); (6) Avoid excessive sun exposure; (7) Enroll in cancer screening tests (cervical, breast and colorectal screening); (8) Participate in vaccination programs against hepatitis B virus and human papilloma virus; (9) Avoid exposure to known cancer-causing substances.

Key Terms in this Chapter

Cancer: Term used to describe more than 100 different diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and are able to invade surrounding tissues.

Behavior Change Intervention: Broad range of activities and approaches, focused on individual, community and environmental influences on behavior, designed to change behavior.

Smartphone Application: Computer program designed to run on smartphones. Usually refers to simple programs that perform specific functions on the smartphone.

Mobile Phone: Wireless handheld device that can make and receive calls among other features.

Behavior Change: Any transformation or modification of human behavior.

Smartphone: A mobile phone that has more advanced computing capability than basic feature phones. Smartphones typically have a relatively large screen and an operating system capable of running general-purpose applications.

Cancer Prevention: All the active measures that can be taken to decrease the risk of cancer. Includes actions to lower exposure to known cancer risk factors ( primary prevention ) and diagnose pre-malignant forms of cancer ( secondary prevention ).

Healthy Behavior: All behaviors that promote a healthy life. Includes being physically active, having a good diet, not smoking, among other behaviors.

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