Author Date

2026-03-13

Degree Name

BS

Department

Exercise Sciences

College

Life Sciences

Defense Date

2026-03-10

Publication Date

2026-03-13

First Faculty Advisor

Dr. Ray Merrill

First Faculty Reader

Dr. Chad Hancock

Honors Coordinator

Dr. Ron Hager

Keywords

mediterranean diet, lung cancer, smoking, italy

Abstract

Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and the third among women in Italy, representing a major public health concern. This ecological, cross-sectional study examined and analyzed regional patterns of smoking prevalence, Mediterranean diet adherence, and age-adjusted lung cancer incidence across Italy, stratified by sex, using publicly available regional and macro-regional data and accounting for age structure and air quality. Smoking prevalence and lung cancer incidence were higher among males than females nationwide, although regional lung cancer patterns did not consistently mirror smoking prevalence, particularly among females. High adherence to the Mediterranean diet was low across regions, while moderate adherence predominated. Among males, no significant associations were observed between smoking, dietary adherence, or lung cancer incidence. Among females, moderate adherence was inversely associated with lung cancer incidence, whereas high and low adherence showed positive correlations. These findings suggest sex-specific, population-level relationships between diet and lung cancer, while emphasizing that the ecological design precludes individual-level causal inference.

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