Cancer Research, Statistics, and Treatment (Jan 2023)

Awareness of colorectal cancer risk factors and warning signs in adults in South Kerala: A cross-sectional study

  • Greeshma A Thomas,
  • Nisha Kurian,
  • Elsheba Mathew,
  • Serah Mamachen,
  • Jemimah R John

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/crst.crst_259_22
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 6, no. 1
pp. 13 – 18

Abstract

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Background: The incidence of colorectal cancers (CRC) is on the rise, but globally, the awareness of the general population remains low. Objective: To assess the level of awareness of risk factors and warning signs of CRC among adults in South Kerala. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted by the Department of Community Medicine, Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center (PIMS and RC), Tiruvalla, South India, among adults aged 18 years and above in semi-urban and rural South Kerala, using purposive sampling to ensure representation from all sections of the general population. Data were collected through personal interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire (modified Bowel Cancer Awareness Measure developed by Cancer Research, United Kingdom). Scores for risk factors and warning signs were calculated separately for prompted (options provided) and unprompted (open-ended) questions and presented as descriptive statistics. Higher summative scores were considered indicative of better knowledge. The association between scores and socio-demographic characteristics was tested for statistical significance using Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance test. Results: Between February and March 2020, we recruited 75 respondents. The mean age of the participants was 40.8 (standard deviation, 16.7) years, and 43 (57.3%) were females. The median scores for unprompted questions for both warning signs and risk factors were 1 [interquartile range (IQR), 0-2 for warning signs; and 0-1 for risk factors]. For prompted questions, the median score for risk factors was 7 (IQR, 5-9), and that for warning signs was 9 (IQR: 7-10). Men scored significantly higher than women on knowledge of risk factors (P = 0.011) and that of warning signs (P = 0.04). The majority (n = 63, 84%) thought that routine screening was necessary for CRC, and 53.3% (n = 40) had received information on CRC from the media. Conclusion: Low awareness of the risk factors and warning signs of CRC highlights the need for increased public education efforts.

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