Awareness of Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors in Palestine: Where Do We Stand?

Abstract

PURPOSE To assess the public awareness level of colorectal cancer (CRC) risk factors in Palestine and identify factors associated with the good awareness level. MATERIALS AND METHODS Adult Palestinians were recruited using convenience sampling from hospitals, primary health care centers, and public locations in 11 governorates. The recognition of 11 CRC risk factors was evaluated using a translated-into-Arabic version of the validated bowel cancer awareness measure. Participants were given one point for each correctly recognized risk factor. The awareness level was determined by the number of CRC risk factors recognized: poor (0-3), fair (4-7), and good awareness (8-11). RESULTS A total of 4,877 participants, of 5,254 approached, completed the questionnaire (response rate = 92.3%). The final analysis included 4,623 questionnaires, 2,700 from the West Bank and Jerusalem (WBJ) and 1,923 from the Gaza Strip. Participants from the WBJ were older, gained higher monthly income, and had more chronic diseases than participants from the Gaza Strip. The most recognized modifiable CRC risk factor was not doing 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five times a week (n = 3,846, 83.2%), whereas the least recognized was having a diet low in fiber (n = 1,985, 42.9%). The most recognized nonmodifiable CRC risk factor was having a bowel disease (n = 3,320, 71.8%), whereas the least recognized was having diabetes (n = 1,581, 34.2%). Only 1,840 participants (39.8%) demonstrated good awareness of CRC risk factors. Participants from the Gaza Strip were more likely than participants from the WBJ to have good awareness (46.5.0% v 35.0%). Female sex, knowing someone with cancer, and completing postsecondary education were all associated with good awareness. CONCLUSION Awareness of CRC risk factors was found to be low in Palestine. There is a substantial need to raise awareness of CRC risk factors through educational campaigns and programs.

Understanding the interplay of colorectal cancer awareness and attitudes among Palestinians: a national cross-sectional study

“…Public spaces included parks, shopping centers, places of worship, transportation stations, downtowns, and others. The goal was to increase the representativeness of the study cohort by recruiting participants from different governorates and locations [ 24 – 26 ]. In 2019, the Palestinian population aged 15 and above was estimated at 3,109,063 individuals [ 28 ].…”

“…The assessment of participants’ awareness regarding CRC signs/symptoms, risk factors, and causation myths employed a scoring system that had also been utilized in previous studies [ 24 – 26 ]. Participants were given one point for each correctly identified item.…”

“…Subsequently, a multivariable logistic regression was conducted to account for various covariates, including age, gender, education level, employment status, monthly income, marital status, place of residence, presence of a chronic disease, knowing someone with cancer, and site of data collection. This model was determined a priori based on previous studies [ 24 – 26 ]. Similar analyses were also performed to examine the association between demonstrating high awareness in each domain and showing a positive attitude toward CRC.…”

“…The awareness of CRC signs/symptoms, risk factors, and causation myths was found to be low in Palestine [ 24 – 26 ]. However, to our knowledge, no study in Palestine has investigated the relationship between CRC awareness and attitudes.…”

Cutaneous Limb Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer Misdiagnosed as Zoster Infection

“…Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common forms of cancer around the world and it is the second most common cancer in the West Bank and Jerusalem, with an incidence rate of 13.6 per 100,000 [ 1 , 2 ]. The most common sites of metastasis of colorectal cancer are the liver, lung, regional lymph nodes, central nervous system, and peritoneum.…”