You Can Reduce Your Cancer Risk
Did You Know? About 40% of cancers can be prevented through healthy living and lifestyle changes.
The Canadian Cancer Society outlines several research-backed ways to reduce your risk for cancer:
Live smoke-free: The single most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of cancer is to live smoke-free.
Enjoy the sun safely – protect your skin and eyes.
Have a healthy body weight: Besides living smoke-free, having a healthy body weight is one of the best things you can do to reduce cancer risk.
Eat well: Eating well is an important part of reducing your cancer risk. Focus on increasing the amount of plant-based, whole foods in your diet.
Move more, sit less: Not enough physical activity and too much sitting increases your cancer risk. Aim for 30 minutes of activity every day and take frequent, short breaks from sitting.
Limit alcohol: Drinking any type or amount of alcohol increases your risk of developing cancer. The less alcohol you drink, the lower your cancer risk.
Get vaccinated: Some viruses cause cancer. Check with your healthcare provider about whether a hepatitis B or HPV vaccine is a good idea for you.
Be safe at work and beyond: Cancer-causing substances (carcinogens) at work or elsewhere are responsible for a small percentage of cancers. Know your risk and protect yourself.
The World Health Organization also recommends being mindful of air quality (both environmental and household) as a risk factor for cancer.
What Can Education Workers Do to Lower Their Cancer Risk?
There are many different roles held by education workers, and all have different backgrounds and job environments. Beyond general ways to reduce your cancer risk as shown above, here are several tips depending on your unique situation.
- Do you sit most of the day? Try to take a quick walk or stretch break every hour.
- Do you work outside or drive a vehicle like a school bus? Wear sunscreen and sun-protective clothing, hats and sunglasses, even in winter.
- Do you frequently work with cleaning supplies or waste? Follow safe handling practices, including wearing protective gear, to limit your long-term exposure to potential carcinogens.
- Do you find yourself struggling with what to eat for snacks or meals in your busy day? On the weekend, prepare a healthy snack box for the week, including chopped veggies, whole fruit, and whole grain packaged snacks.
Take Advantage of Great Resources
You are not alone in your journey to prevent or delay cancer. Check out the following helpful organizations and valuable tools and programs*.
General Cancer Risk Reduction
- The Canadian Cancer Society offers valuable risk reduction information and resources on their website.
- My Cancer IQ – An Ontario Health initiative, you can complete a free cancer risk assessment for a particular cancer and get a personalized action plan.
- It’s My Life! – An interactive, evidence-based tool from the Canadian Cancer Society that teaches you how 16 factors affect your risk of getting cancer and how you can reduce your risk by making simple changes.
- FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) – People with a family history of hereditary cancer (breast, colorectal, endometrial, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, or prostate) may have a higher risk of developing these cancers because of particular genes. Explore the FORCE website to learn about lowering your risk, including genetic testing, screening, and preventative surgeries.
- BETTER Women – A health promotion program that offers women aged 40-68 free access to a volunteer peer health coach who is trained to help them reach and maintain their health and cancer screening goals. Note this is only offered to patients of specific Family Health Teams in Ontario.
- Be Sun Safe – The Canadian Cancer Society provides resources and information to reduce your risk of skin, eye and lip cancer by being safe in the sun.
Quitting Tobacco and Alcohol
- Smokers’ Helpline – A free, confidential service offering support and information about quitting smoking, vaping and tobacco use. Get access to information, tools and exercises to help you quit and stay quit and join our online support community to share your experiences. You can also receive support on the go with text messages customized to your quit date or live chat.
- Talk Tobacco – A free, confidential telephone service (“quit line”) for First Nation, Inuit, Métis and urban Indigenous people who are looking to reduce or quit using commercial tobacco or vaping products.
- Short Messages Against Tobacco (SMAT) is a free 24-week text message program to help you quit smoking. Sign up today and start receiving helpful tips and motivating text messages. Available in French only.
- SMART Recovery – Free support meetings (in-person and virtual) open to anyone seeking science-based, self-empowered addiction or problem behaviour recovery. They also have a mobile app, podcast and other resources.
- The Government of Canada offers a list of Canada-wide and provincial substance use services.
Improving Diet & Exercise
- Canada’s Food Guide – Visit Canada’s online resource for guidance on recommended nutrition, recipes, and tips for healthy eating.
- Your Nutrition Connection – Created by Sunnybrook Hospital as part of the Odette Cancer program, this site has many specific food, nutrition and physical activity recommendations for cancer risk reduction.
- ParticipACTION – Since 1971, the ParticipACTION organization has worked with its partners, which include organizations within the sport, physical activity and recreation sector, alongside government and corporate sponsors, to help people living in Canada be less sedentary and more physically active. Visit the site for learning resources and challenges.
- Optimity – Optimity is a free micro-learning app that helps millions of members live healthier, wealthier, and longer by rewarding health behaviours. Participants earn points that can be put toward rewards like gift cards. Combine the app with wearable fitness devices (like a FitBit) to get personalized, actionable insights for better health and wellness outcomes.
- MyFitnessPal – This free all-in-one food, exercise, and calorie tracker has 3.7 million five star reviews for being helpful in achieving nutrition and health goals.
Weight Management
- Bariatric Medical Program – OHIP-covered comprehensive medical care led by an interdisciplinary team. The focus of this program is the non-surgical treatment of obesity and obesity-related health conditions, safe weight management, and healthy lifestyle changes. Physician referral required.
*Note that the above list was current as of January 9, 2025. Resources change from time-to-time and may not be available today.
The Importance of Regular Screening
Alongside reducing your overall risk of cancer, you can improve your chances of survival of cancer by taking advantage of regular cancer screening. This ensures your cancer is caught in its earliest stages, which means more treatment options and higher chances of treatment success.
Visit the Cancer Care Ontario website for information on Ontario’s organized screening programs, such as breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung.
Summary
Even as survival rates increase from year-to-year, cancer can still be a scary diagnosis and disruptive to your life, including your family and work. The good news: you can take steps to reduce your risk of getting cancer!
Start small by making one healthy change at a time. Focus on sustainable actions that add up to positive change over time. You can also talk to your doctor about specific resources available in your community.