Hospital patient attitudes regarding cancer prevention policies focusing on processed meats: a survey of patients in high- and low-income areas

The American Medical Association has called on hospitals to reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems by eliminating processed meats from their menus. To ascertain patients’ attitudes about this policy change, inpatients at 2 Washington, DC, hospitals were surveyed. One, United Medical Center (UMC), serves an economically disadvantaged area, while the other, George Washington University Hospital (GWUH), serves an economically advantaged area. The UMC population was 92% black/African American and 2% white; the GWUH population was 56% black/African American and 34% white (P<0.0001). Of 200 patients surveyed, being able to eat bacon or sausage was rated as less than important by 68.5%, and as “important” or “extremely important” by 31.5%. Results at the two hospitals were similar. Being able to eat these products was rated as “important” or “extremely important” by 32% and 31% at UMC and GWUH, respectively. Regarding agreement with eliminating processed meat in order to reduce cancer risk, 82.5% of participants agreed, strongly agreed, or were neutral (86% at UMC, 79% at GWUH). We conclude that a large majority from both hospitals supported or were neutral regarding excluding processed meats from hospital menus for cancer prevention, with no major differences between the hospitals.