Knowledge of Cancer Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Barriers to Seeking Medical Help among Omani Adolescents

Abstract

Objective:Raising cancer awareness among adolescents should lead to early diagnosis and improve their survival rate into adulthood. This study aims to identify knowledge of cancer risk factors, symptoms and barriers to seek medical help among Omani adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study with Omani adolescents (aged 15-17 years) has been conducted in six schools in Muscat, the capital of Oman. The general Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire was used to collect the data. Results: A total of 481 adolescents participated. The average recognition of cancer risk factors and symptoms was low (36.8% and 39.6%, respectively). Cancer risk factors and/or symptoms significantly recognised more in girls compared to boys (χ 2 = 10.136; Odds ratio [OR] = 2.13 ; 95% confidence interval [CI]= 0.33-3.41; P = 0.001); older (age 17 year) versus younger (aged 15 and 16 years) (χ 2 = 6.075; OR = 11.68; 95% CI: 1.11-2.53; P = 0.014); those with existing co-morbidities compared to those without (χ 2 = 4.955; OR = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.18-0.92; P = 0.026); and those who knew someone with cancer compared to those who did not (χ 2 = 15.285; OR 2.70; 95% CI: 1.62-4.49; P <0.001). The majority of adolescents (88.8%) would seek medical help within the first two weeks of noting cancer symptoms. The most notable barriers to seek medical help were "emotional". Girls were experienced "emotional barriers" significantly more than the boys (χ 2 = 11.617; OR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.31-2.72; P = <0.001). Conclusion: Adolescents in Oman showed poor cancer awareness with several "emotional" barriers. There is a need to establish and integrate effective cancer educational programs in school curriculums to raise the cancer awareness, address emotional barriers and encourage seeking early medical help. The program could potentially have a life-long impact on encouraging early cancer diagnosis and improving the cancer survival rate.

Cancer Prevention: Knowledge, Attitudes and Lifestyle Cancer-Related Behaviors among Adolescents in Italy

“…Conversely, it is of concern that the most frequent cancers, except lung cancer, are not recognized by a large percentage of the participants, and even more concerning is the lack of knowledge on lifestyle-related factors, with a higher knowledge related to risk factors, such as smoking and alcohol use, and lower knowledge related to protective or healthful behaviors, such as intake of fruits/vegetables and physical activity. This pattern of knowledge on risk and protective lifestyle factors for cancer is interestingly resembled in analogous studies conducted in the adolescent population, reporting higher knowledge on smoking and alcohol [10,13,24], and lack of knowledge on the positive role of physical activity and fruit and vegetable consumption [10,13], with an even lower knowledge on role of food habits, that may be related to the higher attention to healthier eating habits and the Mediterranean diet in Italy. This is of note, since knowledge is one of the predisposing factors that may provide the motivation to adopt healthful or risky behaviors or lifestyles and that can often be influenced by educational interventions.…”

“…As far as we know, the present survey is one of the few studies aiming at the evaluation of knowledge and lifestyle cancerrelated behaviors in adolescents and young adults. Most of the studies have involved adult populations [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ] since the risk of cancer increases with age. However, it is well-known that most of the behavioral factors related to cancers may be acquired at a younger age; therefore, investigating to what extent this younger population is aware of risks and how much a risky lifestyle has been acquainted by adolescents and young adults may be of great interest to program public health interventions aimed at the reduction of the burden of cancer in older populations.…”

“…In the literature, several studies investigating knowledge, attitudes and lifestyle cancer-related behaviors have been conducted in the adult population [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], while evidence on adolescents is more limited [ 10 , 15 ]. The aims of this survey were to explore knowledge and attitudes related to cancer risk factors among secondary school adolescents in Southern Italy, to acquire information regarding their lifestyle behaviors and to identify predictors associated with knowledge and lifestyle cancer-related behaviors.…”

Awareness regarding risk factors and determinants of cancers among Bahir Dar city residents, Northwest Ethiopia

“…The present study determined the level of good awareness regarding risk factors of cancers among Bahir Dar city residents, which was 20.2%. This finding was very low as compared to the study findings of Northern Tanzania, 90% [ 22 ], and 36.8%, Oman, Western Asia [ 24 ]. The possible explanation for this discrepancy might be the difference in study settings, social norms, lifestyles, health care set up, and health information dissemination.…”

Exploring Youth Perceptions About Cancer Prevention and Preferences for Education: a Qualitative Study

“…Therefore, being aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer can reduce cancer mortality if cases are detected and treated in the early stages of cancer development [19]. Educational cancer interventions for adolescents will result in increased knowledge of cancer prevention and could potentially have life-long impacts, improving survival rates [4,20,21].…”