Gen Z is falling behind on cancer prevention

DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor

At 22 or 25, cancer can feel a long way off. There is work to get done, rent to pay, somebody waiting on a text, and usually something more pressing than making a doctor’s appointment when nothing hurts. Cancer screenings can sound like something for parents and grandparents to worry about.

A new national survey suggests that way of thinking is more common among Gen Z than it is among older Americans.

According to the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s 2026 Early Detection Survey, 64% of Gen Z adults ages 21 to 29 believe cancer risk can be reduced through prevention and early detection. Among baby boomers, that number is 73%.

The gap is not huge, but it shows up in other answers, too. It is there in attitudes about sunscreen, routine care, and cancer screenings — all the little things that are easy to put off when you are young and feeling fine.

And those habits have a way of following you.

When the UV Index becomes something to chase

Social media is not always helping, either. One of the more troubling trends making the rounds is “tanmaxxing,” where users push sun exposure harder in pursuit of a darker tan.

“Ain’t no way I’m letting my job stop me from soaking in the 8 UV,” one Instagram user wrote while tanning in a convertible.

That pretty well sums it up. A number meant to warn people about dangerous ultraviolet exposure gets turned into something to beat.

Tanmaxxing posts have shown people skipping sunscreen, using tanning beds, or deliberately staying out during the middle of the day when UV radiation is strongest. The Skin Cancer Foundation has warned that misinformation around the trend can encourage habits that damage skin and raise cancer risk.

The Prevent Cancer Foundation survey found that fewer than half of Gen Z respondents believed sunscreen and sun-protective clothing could lower their risk of skin cancer. Gen Z also trailed millennials and Gen X on that question.

More than half of Gen Z respondents who were behind on a skin check said they did not know they should be checked in the first place. ... It is hard to follow advice you never really got.

A lot of ‘I didn’t know’

The broader survey found the same thing across generations. The Prevent Cancer Foundation surveyed more than 7,500 adults age 21 and older in January. Nearly three-fourths said they were behind on at least one routine cancer screening, and the most common reason was simple: They did not know they needed one.

Younger adults show the biggest gap. Only 63% of Gen Z respondents recognized routine cancer screenings as something that can help reduce cancer risk. The percentage rose with age, reaching 85% among baby boomers.

Some screenings do not begin until later in life, of course, and that can make the whole subject easy to tune out when you are in your 20s. But preventive care starts earlier than many people think.

Cervical cancer screening is recommended beginning at age 21 for people at average risk. Skin checks, oral cancer exams, and testicular health can also be part of preventive care for younger adults, depending on individual risk factors and a provider’s recommendations.

Forty-six percent of eligible Gen Z adults surveyed said they were not up to date on cervical cancer screening.

Nobody needs to spend their 20s worrying about every disease that might come along. But it helps to know what applies to you and what does not.

The hurdle is not always the bill

Money matters when people make health care decisions, but the Gen Z numbers turned up something a little different. Among the three youngest generations surveyed, Gen Z was the only one that did not name cost as its biggest obstacle to a healthier lifestyle. Their biggest hurdle was motivation. Three in five respondents said they struggled with it.

If you feel healthy, getting checked for something you probably do not have can be an easy errand to move to next week. Then next month comes along, and before long a year has slipped by.

There are other reasons young adults may hesitate to walk into a doctor’s office. Nearly a third of Gen Z respondents said they had experienced discrimination or bias from a health care provider. Forty-four percent said they believe the health care system puts profit ahead of patient care. A bad experience can stay with somebody. So can the feeling that nobody has really explained what you are supposed to do once you get through the door.

More than half of Gen Z respondents said having a provider help them navigate the system would increase their trust in health care and make it easier to get recommended cancer screenings. Predictable, affordable costs mattered to roughly half as well.

Sometimes people do not need another warning. They just need somebody to tell them, plainly, what comes next.

Cancer can reach younger adults, too

Cancer is still far more common later in life, but younger adults are not outside its reach. The American Cancer Society reports that colorectal cancer has become the leading cause of cancer death among people younger than 50. Skin cancer is also among the most common cancers diagnosed in people younger than 30.

Those numbers are not a reason for somebody in their 20s to live scared. They are a reason not to assume being young takes cancer off the table.

There is some encouraging news in the survey, too. Sixty-five percent of Gen Z adults said the desire to live a long, healthy life would motivate them to schedule cancer screenings.

The numbers do not suggest Gen Z simply does not care about prevention. A lot of young adults may just never have been shown what prevention looks like for them right now.

What the numbers look like at home

Here in Moore County, the numbers are worth a closer look. State Cancer Profiles, which draws on cancer registry data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute, puts Moore County’s age-adjusted incidence rate for all cancers at 438.8 cases per 100,000 residents for 2018-22.

That was below Tennessee’s rate of 457.1 and the national rate of 448.6. Moore County averaged about 41 new invasive cancer diagnoses a year during that five-year stretch.

Among people younger than 50, though, Moore County’s rate is higher. The county’s age-adjusted cancer incidence rate for that group was 133 cases per 100,000, compared with 105.4 statewide and 105.7 nationally. State Cancer Profiles also classified Moore County’s recent trend among people younger than 50 as rising, with an average annual increase of 5.3%.

Moore County is small, and that matters when reading the numbers. The under-50 rate was based on an average of only about five cancer diagnoses a year. A few additional cases can move a small county’s rate a lot more than they would in a larger place, and the statistical range around Moore County’s rate is wide.

So 133 per 100,000 should not be read to mean every younger person here faces unusually high cancer risk. The county numbers do not tell us why the rate was higher, either, and they cannot tell any one person what his or her individual risk looks like.

For younger adults here, it comes down to something pretty basic. Know your family history. Find out which screenings apply to you, and have that conversation with a health care provider before something feels wrong. Preventive care does not have to wait until middle age.

Open enrollment offers a place to start

For people who buy insurance through the federal Health Insurance Marketplace, the next open enrollment period begins Nov. 1. That is the first day people can enroll in, renew, or change a Marketplace plan for 2027. Those who enroll or change plans by Dec. 15 can have coverage begin Jan. 1, provided they pay their first premium.

Open enrollment continues through Jan. 15, with coverage beginning Feb. 1 for those who enroll after the December deadline.

Medicare’s annual enrollment period runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. Employer-sponsored plans follow schedules set by each employer, though many hold enrollment in the fall.

For young adults shopping for Marketplace coverage, price matters. So does what happens after the premium is paid. Look at the deductible. Make sure the doctors you use are in network. Read what the plan says about primary care and preventive services before choosing one. And once the card is in your wallet, use it.

Cancer prevention does not have to become some big, frightening thing hanging over your 20s. Most of the time, it is a lot more ordinary than that – knowing which appointments you need, and making them.