Communicating Multiple Disease Risks: A Translation of Risk Prediction Science

Epidemiology seeks to improve public health by identifying risk factors for cancer and other
diseases and conveying that information to relevant audiences (e.g., physicians, the public).
The audience is presumed to understand and use that information to make appropriate decisions
about lifestyle behaviors and medical treatments. Yet, even though a single risk factor can
affect the risk of multiple health outcomes, this information is seldom communicated to
people in a way that optimizes their understanding of the importance of engaging in a single
healthy behavior. Providing individuals with the ability to understand how a single behavior
(obtaining sufficient physical activity) could affect their risk of developing multiple
diseases could foster a more coherent and meaningful picture of the behavior's importance in
reducing health risks, increase motivation and intentions to engage in the behavior, and over
time improve public health.

The proposed study translates epidemiological data about five diseases that cause significant
morbidity and mortality (i.e., colon cancer, breast cancer (women), heart disease, diabetes,
and stroke) into a visual display that conveys individualized risk estimates in a
comprehensible, meaningful, and useful way to diverse lay audiences.