Assessment of students' knowledge, attitude and practice concerning cancer and its prevention. Part I

Cancer is a serious public health issue, but it is increasingly regarded as preventable. The present study was conducted to assess students' knowledge, attitude and practice about cancer. A questionnaire was developed by the researchers and completed by 896 secondary school students from the middle zone of Alexandria Governorate. Females had a significantly higher awareness than males as regards the relationship between not eating vegetables and fruits, environmental effects, exposure to irradiation or to the sun for long periods and the hazards of getting cancer. Third grade students were significantly more knowledgeable than the other two grades (H=11.43, p<0.01). Only 4.5% of the participants had satisfactory levels of knowledge. Students in general expressed strong fear of cancer. Females were more worried than males either about themselves getting cancer or about others having it. More than 50% of the females liked to be friendly with children having cancer as compared to 37% of males. Only 12.3% of the students had a positive attitude towards cancer prevention. Males tended to consume healthier foods than females. Furthermore, 57% of the students demonstrated good practice. School education on cancer is extremely needed for these adolescents in order to correct misconceptions, provide accurate information and to develop a positive attitude towards cancer.