Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes of Patients About Cancer Screenings in Primary Care

Abstract

Incidence of cancer is increasing in the developing countries such as Turkey. Screenings are important part of preventive medicine practices which can reduce deaths due to cancer. Our aim was to identify patient's awareness and knowledge level of cancers and screenings and to create a road map of what we need to do to increase screening rates. This study was a descriptive type, and the research population was the patients between the age of 30 and 75, who went to 18 different Family Health Centres in different places in Turkey for any reason in July-September 2016. The survey was completed by face-to-face interview and consisted of 20 questions about the socio-demographic attributes, level of cancer and cancer screenings knowledge, causes of screening, and reasons for not doing. Screening rates was self-reported by patients. A total of 643 patients, 394 women (61.3%) and 249 men (38.7%), participated in the study. The average age was 45.67 ± 11.49. The most well-known cancer type was breast cancer (79%). Having no screening was high in general population (64.7%). Having a screening was statistically significantly higher in women, over 50 year olds group, divorced/widower group, housewives, primary school graduates, the group who have green-card (having very low or no income) as social security, and in the group who have a history of family member with cancer. 55.8% of patients received the information about screenings from healthcare professionals. The reasons for not having a screening were "not seeing themselves as under risk" (27.4%), not having knowledge (22.8%), and fear of the results (15%). First of all, the importance of cancer screening as an important part of the preventive health services should be understood by family doctors through in-service training. Then family doctors would share the information and experience, clear the lack of knowledge of them and by doing this rates of screening would increase.

Effect of Educating Healthy Women About Breast Cancer on Their Fear of Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Worry

“…By using a structured questionnaire to detect rate of practice of breast self-examination in 261 participants, Parsa et al [20] de ned fear from detection of a mass as the reason for avoiding the exam in only 17% of cases. Correspondingly, in a large survey recently held by Gümüştakim et al [21] on 643 women attending 18 Family Health Centers throughout Turkey, fear from the results was the cause for 15% of evasions from screening.…”

Investigating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the attitude scale for cancer screening

“…Despite the availability of cancer screening methods, people’s acceptance of these facilities is low. According to the results of the studies, there are many obstacles related to screening and adopting cancer screening behaviors, among which individual attitudes can be mentioned [ 11 , 12 ]. Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) define attitude as “a disposition to respond favorably or unfavorably towards some psychological object.“ Also, attitude means feelings, opinions, and relatively hidden behavioral contexts that are driven in the context of persons, groups, thoughts, or things [ 12 , 13 ].…”