Oral Cancer Awareness of the General Public in Gorakhpur City, India

Abstract

Objectives: Global cancer statistical data show that India has one of the highest incidence rates of oral cancer worldwide. Early detection is extremely important as it results in lower morbidity and death rates. The present study was undertaken to assess awareness of oral cancer and knowledge of its early signs and risk factors in the general public of the semi-urban Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh (India). It was also intended to educate the same population for early detection by increasing their ability to recognize signs and risk factors. Method: A questionnaire-based household survey was conducted over a period of one month in different parts of Gorakhpur district, a region where tobacco use is apparently very high. A total of 2,093 persons participated in the survey. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software to assess and associate oral cancer awareness with the prevalence, and abstract risk factors, as well as other confounding variables. Results: The general awareness, knowledge of signs and risk factors of oral cancer were found to be proportionate to the literacy level with the highest rate of awareness being among high school and graduates and lowest among illiterates. It was also observed that on most of these dimensions the younger age groups (<30 years) were significantly more knowledgeable. Conclusion: Overall, the awareness of oral cancer in the high-risk population of Gorakhpur was not satisfactory, pointing to a need for further dissemination of information on this issue and its associated risks. This is especially important for the youngsters, as this may possibly help them keep away from the deleterious habit of tobacco indulgence in any form. If necessary risk factor cessation counselling should be provided.

Public Awareness and Knowledge of Oral Cancer in Yemen

“…The results of this study demonstrated the general lack of knowledge about oral cancer in our population; only 71.5% of participants were aware of oral cancer, a finding similar to that reported in previous studies elsewhere (Horowitz and Nourjah, 1996;Tomar et al, 2005;West et al, 2006;Devadiga and Prasad 2010;Peker and Al-Kurt, 2010;Park et al, 2011;Agrawal et al, 2012;Tadbir et al, 2013). This emphasizes the importance of initiating intensive public education programs targeting the public to increase such knowledge.…”

“…Our study population also showed an inadequate knowledge regarding risk factors. Although more than two thirds of the participants identified tobacco use (smoking and smokeless tobacco use) as the main risk factors, similar to earlier studies conducted in Australia, England, India, Iran, Malaysia and the USA (Horowitz et al, 1995;Warnakulasuriya et al, 1999;Tadbir et al, 2013;Park et al, 2011;Agrawal et al, 2012;Ghani et al, 2013), only small proportion of participants were aware that old age, alcohol consumption, and sun exposure in the case of lip cancer are also potential risk factors. The greater awareness of tobacco as a risk factor could be attributed to anti-tobacco media campaigns explaining the adverse effects of smoking.…”

“…This underscores the need for an extensive awareness campaigns on the issues related to oral cancer. It has been reported that public awareness of oral cancer is low (Park et al, 2011;Agrawal et al, 2012;Ghani et al, 2013;Tadbir et al, 2013;Quadri et al, 2014); and several studies have shown that oral cancer awareness is lesser when compared with other types of cancer (Pakfetrat et al, 2010;Park et al, 2011;Rogers et al, 2011). Moreover, it has been reported that the majority of certain populations failed to recognize the early signs and symptoms of oral cancer (Ghani et al, 2013;Tadbir et al, 2013;Quadri et al, 2014).…”

“…Delayed presentation of oral cancer results in increased treatment morbidity and reduced survival rates. It has been reported that lack of public knowledge and awareness is the most significant factor in delaying diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer (Warnakulasuriya et al, 1999;Agrawal et al, 2012). This underscores the need for an extensive awareness campaigns on the issues related to oral cancer.…”

“…A structured questionnaire was developed from previously validated items (Elango et al, 2009;Park et al, 2011;Agrawal et al, 2012;Ghani et al, 2013;Tadbir et al, 2013 ) with modifications to suit the local population, especially in the area of risk factors associated with the disease. Before submitting the questionnaire, a pilot study was performed on a random sample of the population (n=35), and the questionnaire was modified according the feedback obtained.…”