Cancer awareness & its association with demographic variables & mobile phone usage among the rural population of a district in north India

Background & objectives: Lack of awareness is one of the major reasons for the high morbidity and mortality associated with cancers. The present study was aimed to evaluate the awareness of prevalent cancers among the rural population in a district of north India and its association specifically with mobile phone usage. Methods: Using a stratified random sampling technique, households in three villages of Gautam Buddh Nagar district of India were selected. A house-to-house survey on cancer awareness was conducted among adults in selected households and data were analyzed to check for the association of such an awareness with sociodemographic factors and internet usage. Results: The study included 59 males and 145 females, with majority (115) being in the age group of 18-30 yr. Although most (96.5%) of the participants were aware of cancer, the common risk factors and warning signs of cancer were known to only a few. Specific risk factors for cervical and breast cancers were, however, not known to a majority (79.9% and 72.2%). A significant association between the awareness of general risk factors and warning signs as well as specific aspects including risk factors for breast, cervical and oral cancer, HPV vaccine and the education level of the participants (P<0.05 for all). Knowledge of risk factors, warning signs and cancer prevention modalities was higher among mobile phone users who accessed internet for health information. There was no significant association between age group and cancer risk factor awareness, though females were more aware of the risk factors for breast cancer (P=0.002). Interpretation & conclusions: The findings of this study highlight the existing low level of awareness of cervical and breast cancers among the rural population. The association of cancer awareness with education level and mobile phone-based internet usage suggests the potential utility of internet-based platforms such as m-health programmes for cancer prevention activities

Tobacco and cancer awareness program among school children in rural areas of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state in India

Background: Promoting awareness of tobacco and cancer in the community needs multipronged efforts. We performed a study to evaluate whether we could raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco, oral and esophageal cancer among school students by providing them health education. Moreover, we also compared the awareness level in students of age group 12 to ?14 years with the age group >14 to 18 years. Methods: We conducted an awareness program in the schools of Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra state. Students aged 12–18 years participated in this study. We provided health education to school students using a standard presentation; the presentation was rich in illustrations depicting the harmful effects of tobacco as well as oral and esophageal cancer’s signs, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and preventive measures. After the health talk, a questionnaire was circulated. The questions were focused on tobacco, signs, and symptoms of the diseases along with early detection, prevention, and treatment of cancer. Results: A total of 1354 students participated in the program. Totally, 567 (41.9%) students were from 6th to 8th grade (Group A, age group 12 to ?14) and 787 (58.1%) students were from 9th to 12th standards (Group B, age group >14 to 18). Overall scores were high, ranging from 69% to 98%. Group A scored in the range of 69% to 95%, and Group B scored in the range 72%–98% The difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant (P?value ?0.05). Conclusion: A standardized health education program helped to raise awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco and cancer amongst school children. Further studies are needed to evaluate whether educating school children has an impact on community understanding of the disease.

Cervical cancer screening awareness and uptake among under-screened women in a rural Nigerian community

Background: Cervical cancer is the most frequent female genital tract malignancy in Nigeria, with the majority of patients suffering from advanced stages of the disease. A low level of awareness and knowledge of cervical cancer and screening has been identified as oneof the causes of cervical screening underutilization in Nigeria. This study aims to determine the level of cervical cancer screening awareness and uptake among rural Nigerian women.Method:The study design was cross sectional, carried out among adult women in the Orhuwhorun community in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 234 women from May to June 2021. Data were collected by semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done with SPSS v. 25.0.Result: Two hundred and thirty-fourwomen of mean age 41.08 years (SD ± 8.45) were enrolled. The level of awareness of cervical cancer screening methods was 9.4%while screening uptake was only 4.3% among rural women in Orhuwhorun.Conclusion: The awareness of cervical cancer screening methods and uptake was very low among rural women in Delta State. It is, therefore, imperative that cervical cancer awareness campaigns among this populace are increased and screening services be less expensive and accessible

Awareness of core knowledge about cancer prevention and its influencingfactors among residents in Zhejiang Province / 预防医学

Objective@#To investigate the current awareness of core knowledge about cancer prevention and its influencing factors among residents in Zhejiang Province, in order to provide a reference for formulating provincial health education strategies of cancer prevention.@*Methods @#From November 2019 to October 2020, the permanent residents aged 18-74 years in Zhejiang Province were selected using multi-stage stratified sampling method. A questionnaire was designed according to Core Information and Knowledge on Cancer Prevention to collect general information, health status, and awareness of core knowledge about cancer prevention. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors. @*Results@#Among 6 974 valid respondents, 3 139 ( 45.01% ) were males and 3 835 ( 54.99% ) were females. The overall awareness rate of core knowledge about cancer prevention was 74.66%; the awareness rates of basic knowledge, risk factors and primary prevention, screening and early diagnosis as well as treatment and rehabilitation were 79.08%, 80.83%, 76.08% and 82.99%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the residents who were in rural areas ( OR=0.659, 95%CI: 0.585-0.743 ), ≥45 years old ( OR: 0.794-0.801, 95%CI: 0.655-0.981 ) and with obesity (OR=0.531, 95%CI: 0.436-0.647) had lower awareness rates, while the residents who were with an educational level of junior high school/technical school/senior high school or above ( OR: 1.390-4.361, 95%CI: 1.208-5.600 ), married (OR=1.414, 95%CI: 1.142-1.752), administrative/technical personnel ( OR=2.602, 95%CI: 2.005-3.377 ), service staff/private business owners ( OR=1.368, 95%CI: 1.111-1.684), retired ( OR=1.345, 95%CI: 1.105-1.639 ) and others ( OR=1.542, 95%CI: 1.295-1.838 ), and with experience of cancer screening or examination ( OR=1.267, 95%CI: 1.123-1.428 ) had higher awareness rates. @*Conclusions@#The awareness rate of core knowledge about cancer prevention in Zhejiang Province is 74.66%. Health education for the residents aged ≥45 years, living in rural areas, having low educational levels, and having obesity should be

Awareness of nursing students towards cancer and their comparison with medical students

Background: Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of mortality worldwide. The three leading cancers in India are cervical cancer, breast cancer and upper aerodigestive tract carcinoma. Cervical carcinoma is the 2nd most common cancer in women next to breast carcinoma. This study has been done to assess the knowledge, causation and preventive methods about the common cancers in India amongst Medical and Nursing students in a tertiary care center in rural Kerala. Preventive measures and early diagnosis of cancer can lead to decrease in mortality and morbidity. This can be achieved by creating awareness. A special emphasis has been made regarding cervical cancer and HPV vaccination in this study.Methods: A total of 337 medical and 148 nursing students from 1st year to final year were included in this study and the results were analysed by descriptive statistics.Results: Out of 337 medical and 148 nursing students, there was significant difference in knowledge between pretest/posttest and amongst the medical/nursing students. Medical students were found be more aware about the cancer, their causation and preventive methods as compared to the nursing students. 76.4% of nursing students were aware about the role of HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) in the causation of cervical cancer pretest. 98.6% of nursing students were aware about the role of HPV in causation of cervical cancer posttest following a short lecture. Following a short lecture both medical and nursing students were found to have more awareness.Conclusions: Creating awareness to the medical and nursing students who are intouch with the community and the patients is essential. Targeted health education in very important in creating a great impact about the knowledge of cancer in the community, thereby leading to decrease in mortality and morbidity.

Community cancer awareness programs: symptom awareness alone doesn’t suffice

Background: Although cancer is a global public health problem, maximum impact is on developing economies. In India, socio-cultural factors also operate to add the burden. Aim of the study was to delineate factors causing late presentation of cancers to the point of care.Methods: We gave cancer awareness classes to a village community, preceded by a campaign to attend the classes with the help of a local trustee organisation and primary health center. Data was collected from the attendees using a structured questionnaire prepared to dissect out the awareness about cancer symptoms and concerns about treatment.Results: Only 1.8% of the total population of the area under study attended the classes. Out of the 411 attendees, 323 (78.6%) responded to the questionnaire and of them, 294 (91%) identified the site wise symptoms of cancer clearly and 40 (12.4%) detected their own symptoms warranting cancer screening. Commonest concern was the cost of treatment (40.9%). There were people thinking that cancer is not a life-style disease (3.1%), it is genetic (7.7%), it may be due to fate alone (6.2%), it is contagious (5%), and it cannot be cured (3.7%).Conclusions: Despite high health status indices, literacy rate and high knowledge about cancer symptoms, there are still a lot of superstitions about cancer in Kerala. The most common reason preventing people from approaching health care system with early symptoms of cancer is the fear of cost of treatment. Apart from teaching symptoms of cancer, cancer awareness programs should include familiarisation of various financial aids available for cancer treatment.

Sociodemographic and Clinical Profile of Breast Cancer Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Kashmir, IndiaManzoor

Introduction: Globally, breast cancer is leading to cancer found among women. It is well known that cancer is an age-relateddisease and this holds true in breast cancer as well. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women, and itwas estimated that there will be 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer and 63,410 new cases of in situ breast cancersamong women in the United States in 2017.Purpose: The aim of the present study was to analyze the demographic spectrum of breast cancers in the Kashmir valley.Materials and Methods: This was an observational chart based study on breast cancer patients aged above 18 years of agewho were diagnosed with either invasive or in situ breast cancer at Government Medical College Hospital, Srinagar, Kashmir.The duration of the study was from June 2015 to December 2018. A retrospective study was conducted to find the informationregarding age, sex, clinical presentation, anatomical site, histopathological type, and stage of the disease.Results: A total of 151 patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancers formed the study population. The majority of thepatients (46%) among females were <45 years of age and among males >45 years in age, with males and females constituting4% and 96% of patients in their respective groups. The upper outer quadrant was involved in 81 (54%) patients followed byupper inner 14% and central quadrant involvement in 25 (16%) patients. Among 151 patients, 42 women (28%) presented inStage IIA, 32 patients (21%) presented with Stage IIB disease, 19 patients (12%) in Stage IIIA, and 20 patients (13%) in StageIIIC; however, 17 patients (11%) presented with Stage IV disease. G2 was the most common histological grade. On the whole,liver was the most common presenting site for distant metastasis followed by lung and brain metastases.Conclusion: Early age, female sex, and residence within an endemic geographical region seem to be the prime determinantsaffecting breast cancer prevalence in a given population. A significant number of breast cancer patients in Kashmir presentwith early stage of disease and major clinical presentation were breast swelling. The majority of the cases reported in StagesII and III. Furthermore, there was significant number of patients presenting with metastasis, i.e., Stage IV.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Breast Cancer among Saudi Women: A Cross-sectional Study in Riyadh

Background: Worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Breast cancer screening has been found effective in early diagnosis and decreasing mortality rates. Aim of the study: To assess Saudi Women’s knowledge, attitudes and practices towards breast cancer screening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and investigate factors that influence these practices. Methods: This is a cross-sectional community-based survey; a self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a convenience sample of females with a wide spectrum of socio-demographic profiles. A scoring scheme was used to score women’s responses. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with screening practices viz. breast self-examination (BSE), mammography and attitudes. Results: The study included 407 females, mean (± S.D) age of 28 years (± 8.5); 45% were married and 40.2% had a university degree. Only 30% of females practiced BSE and 25% had ever performed mammography. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that inappropriate attitude is independently predictable by inadequate knowledge (p<0.0001). Factors independently associated with BSE practice in the stepwise logistic regression analysis were being married (p<0.05), appropriate attitude (p<0.05), adequate knowledge (p<0.05) and performing a mammography test (p<0.0001). Factors independently associated with performing mammography were age greater than 40 years (p<0.05), higher knowledge score (p<0.0001) and practicing BSE (p<0.0001). Conclusion: These study findings indicate significant inadequate knowledge, inappropriate attitude towards breast cancer as well as suboptimal screening practices among Saudi women. Therefore, preventive educational campaigns employing innovative strategies to increase population awareness, particularly targeting future generations through schools and university curricula, should be urgently implemented to reverse the course of the upward growing incidence of breast cancer disease in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Impact of Awareness on Health Status of Breast Cancer Patients

Introduction: Brest Cancer is the second most commontype of Cancer after lung Cancer. Hence, it is necessary tobring etiology, symptoms of awareness in the women aboutthe breast Cancer. It is more important to the women whoare affected with the Breast Cancer to be aware about thetreatment, appropriate diet during the treatment, side effectsof therapy and their remedies and precautions after treatment.This study was conducted to assess the impact of awarenessabout the disease on the health status of breast cancer patients.Material and methods: A sample of 300 patients sufferingfrom breast cancer were selected by random sampling method.Interview schedule was structured to collect informationregarding awareness of breast cancer patients. Health statusassessed by anthropometric measurement for BMI and waisthip ratio, presence of clinical sign and symptoms assessedby clinical examination and estimation of hemoglobin bycyanmethemoglobin method . One way anova test was appliedto determine the significance of the study.Results: It was found that maximum breast cancer patients(N=242) exhibited medium status of awareness whichwas found to be 80.67%. The high status of awareness wasobserved only in 15.33% breast cancer patients which wascomparatively a small number (N=46). The least numberof breast cancer patients (N=12) exhibited low status ofawareness (4%).Conclusion: The study concluded that awareness of diseasein breast cancer patients has a significant effect on their healthstatus.

Awareness of Colorectal Cancer among the Urban Population in the Klang Valley

@#Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer in Malaysia. Awareness of risk factors, symptoms and warning signs of CRC will help in early detection. This paper presents the level of CRC awareness among the urban population in Malaysia. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2015 till December 2016 at three government clinics in the Klang Valley. The validated Bowel Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire in both English and Malay was used. The mean knowledge scores for the warning signs and risk factors of CRC in different socio-demographic groups were compared using ANOVA in SPSS version 23. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05 and a 95% confidence level. Results: Of the 426 respondents, 29.1% were unable to recall the warning signs and symptoms of CRC. Average recall was less than two warning signs and symptoms (mean 1.62, SD 1.33). The mean total knowledge score for CRC was 9.91 (SD 4.78), with a mean knowledge scores for warning signs and risk factors at 5.27 (SD 2.74) and 4.64 (SD 2.78), respectively. Respondents with a higher level of education were found to have higher level of knowledge regarding the warning signs of CRC. There was a significant positive association between knowledge score for warning signs and level of confidence in detecting warning signs. Regarding the total knowledge score for CRC, 3.3% of respondents scored zero. For warning signs and risk factors, 8.2% and 8.5% of respondents had zero knowledge scores, respectively. Conclusions: Generally, awareness of CRC is poor among the urban population of Klang Valley. Greater education and more confidence in detecting warning signs are significantly associated with better knowledge of warning signs. CRC awareness programs should be increased to improve awareness.

Assessment of the level of knowledge of colorectal cancer among public at outpatient clinics in Serdang Hospital: a survey based study

Objectives: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the mostcommon gastrointestinal cancers in the world. In the AsiaPacificregion, it is the fastest emerging gastrointestinalcancer. Level of awareness on CRC warning signs and riskfactors in the rural population of Malaysia is reported of verylow. The aim of this study was to assess the level ofknowledge of CRC among the public at medical outpatientclinics in Serdang Hospital. The association between sociodemographicfactors with level of knowledge among therespondents was further studied.Study design: A study was conducted among the non-CRCpatients’ relatives accompanying their relatives to themedical outpatient clinics in Serdang Hospital from 1st Aprilto 31st August 2016. The study was carried out with clustersampling method.Methods: The respondents were assessed using validatedand modified Cancer Awareness Measures (CAM)questionnaire consists of three parts which are knowledgeon warning signs, knowledge on risk factors and sociodemographicfactors. All data were analysed using IBMSPSS Statistics 21.0.Results: Altogether 308 subjects completed thequestionnaires. It was shown high percentage of goodknowledge for warning signs and risk factors of CRC amongthe respondents. A significant association between agegroups and level of income with level of knowledge onwarning signs was observed.Conclusions: The level of knowledge of CRC among thegeneral public in Serdang Hospital was sufficient. Therespondents with higher income or younger age had higherlevel of knowledge regarding CRC.

Information needs of men for early detection of prostate cancer in IDEMILI-north local government area, Anambra state, Nigeria

The research is a study of information needs of men for early detection of prostate cancer. This study adopted descriptive survey research design. The sample for the study comprised two hundred (200) men drawn from ten Catholic Churches in ten towns of Idemili-North, Anambra State. The instrument for data collection was structured questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using percentages and mean ratings. The major findings include that men have a serious need for information on early detection measures, particularly on knowledge of possible warning signs of prostate cancer. Men access information on prostate cancer mainly through television programmes and health centres. Men prefer certain media for effective propagation of prostate cancer such as Health centres, Town hall meetings, church meetings and men's group meetings. The hindrance factors on access to prostate cancer information are all related to absence of functional library services as well as lack of adequate information mechanisms. The study recommends that the government should make prostate cancer information propagation an enforceable integral part of the healthcare delivery system as well as set up awareness campaign committee to strategically implement it.

Prevalence of Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Awareness on Oral Cancer

The burden of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is increasing globally with 600,000new cases being reported annually. A great proportion of these are oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) which are preceded by oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). The aim of our study was to assess the prevalence of OPMDs among adult Malaysian dental patients with and without risk habits. The objectives of this study were i) to determine the prevalence of OPMDs among dental patients who were tobacco smokers ii) to determine the prevalence of OPMDs among dental patients who were alcohol users iii) to determine the prevalence of OPMDs among dental patients without any risk habits iv) to determine the awareness on oral cancer among dental patients with and without risk habits. Materials and methods: This was a cross sectional observational study, carried out at Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. A conventional oral examination was conducted by two investigators who were trained and calibrated prior to the survey. Participants were administered a questionnaire that was pre-tested in a previous study. 83 subjects were recruited into the study. Leukoplakia was the only OPMD detected in our study with a prevalence of 10.8%. All patients diagnosed with leukoplakia were males (P < 0.05). A significant association between the prevalence of OPMDs and risk habits was found. There was a general lack of awareness among smokers regarding alcohol as an aetiological agent for oral cancer. A significant proportion of subjects who smoked were unaware of early signs of oral cancer.

The cancer awareness assessment project: A small‑scale survey across people with different levels of education in Mysore, India.

AIM: To assess the cancer awareness in respondents, their knowledge about the nature of cancer as a disease, its diagnosis and treatment, warning signs, environmental risk factors and conceptions of how risk factors work, as well as willingness to participate in screening programs if available. METHODOLOGY: Cancer awareness is an increasingly important issue in light of increasing incidence and associated healthcare costs, as well as the presence of risk management strategies. In this study, 453 people, drawn from several educational institutes/workplaces, were surveyed with respect to cancer awareness. The test sample included pre university students, undergraduates, and postgraduate students/workers. We checked for variations in cancer awareness across multiple educational levels to determine whether there was variation in levels of cancer awareness across educational classes. RESULTS: We found that confidence in perception of cancer awareness, and awareness itself, was not very high, and only postgraduates had a nuanced appreciation of some of the complexities of cancer epidemiology, and even then only moderately. CONCLUSION: The conclusions of the study point towards the need for optimal policymaking in the development of cancer awareness in the population.