One in Four American Adults Would Rather Not Know They Have Cancer

A new study from The Harris Poll, commissioned by Bayer, suggests fear factors have an impact on diagnoses and preventative care – one in four American adults would rather not know they have cancer (27%) and nearly a third (31%) avoid doctor visits due to fear of what they might learn.

In addition to fear factors, many American adults site lack of knowledge about key physical health topics, demonstrating the need for greater education on disease risks:

• 49% are not knowledgeable about prostate cancer
• 49% didn’t know that a man's race impacts his risk for prostate cancer
• 38% are not very knowledgeable about breast cancer
• 48% were unaware that breast density impacts cancer risk/diagnosis

As one of the top life sciences companies in the U.S., Bayer’s latest study is designed to uncover patient behaviors and barriers, as well as medical and preventative gaps that the company can help solve for through awareness, education, advocacy and innovation.

“The increase of fear and anxiety, heightened by a lack of education and in some cases trust barriers, creates an environment where people may not access basic preventative care to ensure early diagnosis,” said Sebastian Guth, President, Bayer U.S. and President, Pharmaceuticals, North America. “This is compounded by the fact that around 27.4 million people of all ages (8.3%) don’t have access to health insurance.¹ Companies like Bayer have a responsibility to provide resources that increase health education on the importance of understanding disease risks, early disease screenings and preventative health care.”

With a goal to help bridge some of these gaps, Bayer partners with patient advocacy groups to increase trust and education around risk factors and healthcare solutions. As part of this commitment, Bayer has partnered with organizations like Zero Prostate Cancer, Target Cancer Foundation and Prostate Cancer Foundation to raise awareness and help individuals understand the resources available to them and their risks for specific disease.

Bayer has also supported the National Kidney Foundation, including sponsoring its “Are You the 33%?” campaign. With the common goal of improving health outcomes for people living with chronic kidney disease, the partnership raises awareness among the 1 in 3 people at risk for developing chronic kidney disease and encourages dialogue with doctors to help improve early diagnosis and intervention.

Additionally, the company is using its science-based innovation and scale to help tear down health barriers for Americans through commitments such as The Nutrient Gap Initiative, which expands access to vitamins and minerals to underserved communities. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are a major public health problem and through intervention, education and advocacy, Bayer aims to reverse the cycle of malnutrition — to help people grow properly, raise healthier families and lead better lives.

For those who don’t regularly visit their healthcare provider or have access to one, self-care offers the first and often last line of healthcare for many people. Health education programs and access to Bayer products, from Claritin and Aleve to Aspirin and Astepro, or One A Day, can offer a lifeline for people to help take care of themselves.

For more information, please visit: https://www.bayer.com/en/us/bayer-united-states-of-america.

Research Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Bayer from June 6-8, 2023, among 2,079 U.S. adults ages 18+. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the total sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.8 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.