Study of Sociodemographic Characteristics of Cancer Patients Attending Government General Hospital , Gulbarga.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Cancer is a major health problem worldwide and one of the most important cause of both morbidity and mortality in both children's and adults. In the developed world cancer is the second leading cause of death accounting 21percent of all mortality. In India in males most frequent cancer is oral cancer and in females cancer cervix. AIM: To determine the sociodemographic characteristics of cancer patients. Materials and Methods: The material of the study includes all the cancer patients attending government general hospital Gulbarga. Pretested pre designed porforma is used to collect the data. Results: It was noticed that out of 550 cancer patients 60.55% were females and 39.54% were males. Majority patients were Hindus (85.27%) and maximum (64.36%) were illiterates and 72.55% were agriculturist. Most of the cancer patients belonged to social class 5. Conclusion: This study gives very important information to say that education and occupation are the fundamental factor among the sociodemographic determinants of cancer patients. Public awareness through education and improvements in living standards can play an important role in reducing the high incidence of cancer in India.