Study title

Abstract copyright UK Data Service and data collection copyright owner.

The Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) was developed in 2007-8 to address the absence of a validated measure of general public awareness of cancer (Stubbings, S., Robb, K., Waller, J., Ramirez, A., Austoker, J., Macleod, U., Hion, S., and Wardle, J. (2009) 'Development of a measurement tool to assess public awareness of cancer', British Journal of Cancer, 101(2), S13-S17.).

The survey includes measures of awareness of signs and symptoms of cancer, cancer risk factors, age-related risk, screening programmes and potential barriers to seeing the GP. Since then, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has significantly revised and updated the survey, including a wider range of questions and collecting data online instead of face-to-face. The CAM was also previously known as the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative Cancer Awareness Measure (NAEDI-CAM).

CAM data has been collected by CRUK approximately every two years from 2008 to 2019. A COVID specific CAM was developed in 2020 to measure the longitudinal impact of COVID-19 on cancer attitudes and behaviour and understand the contextual influences on cancer attitudes and behaviour during COVID-19. The specific COVID CAM data was collected in two waves which are both included as part of this study.

Further information about the CAM may be found on the Cancer Research UK Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) webpage.