Abstract:
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India is a developing economy with a growing cancer burden. The country has undergone major shifts to its demographic indicators in recent years, which can affect cancer rates by modifying lifestyle. Therefore, there is an urgent need for cancer communication to shape public understanding of the disease, to advance cancer control and care. We examined trends and disparities in India’s demographic indicators and cancer rates, and studied the characteristics of India’s cancer communication activities by reviewing videos of activities sponsored by the government, nongovernmental organizations and corporate social responsibility programs. Our analyses results indicate that existing cancer communication efforts align with the growing inter-regional disparities in cancer rates and lifestyle changes. However, considerable improvements are warranted, especially by improving data collection, data quality and expanding partnership with diverse stakeholders, including the LGBTQ population, and by developing communications in regional vernaculars.
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