Perceptions of Oral Cancer Screenings as Compared to Other Cancer Screenings: A pilot study

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to compare public perceptions of Idaho adults regarding oral cancer (OC) screening with other common cancer screenings including breast cancer (BC), prostate cancer (PC), and colon cancer (CC) screenings.Methods: This study utilized a convenience sample (N=100) of Idaho residents. A self-designed, validated interview-administered questionnaire was administered by a data collection service using computer-assisted telephone interview software to assess consumer perceptions about cancer screenings. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequencies, and Pearson's Chi-Square tests.Results: Participants were predominantly white (90%) with a mean age of 52.7 years with some post-high school education (80%) and the majority had received OC screenings (54%).The majority of participants perceived benefits of each specific cancer screening as very helpful: (a) OC screening (60%), (b) BC screening (79.2% females), (c) PC screening (63.8% males), and (d) CC screening (84%), and also reported no perceived risks regarding OC (80%), BC (60.4%), PC (66%) screening. Only 11% reported fear of finding cancer with an OC screening. The study findings supported significant associations (p<0.05) between consumer perceptions of cost and time as barriers to accessing all of the selected cancer screenings.Conclusion: This study identified associations between consumer perceptions of OC screening when compared with BC, PC, and CC. Concerns about cost and time for cancer screenings may reflect low consumer awareness regarding differences between OC and other cancer screenings. Future studies including larger samples representing more diverse populations are recommended to further explore the basis of participants' perceptions of cancer screenings and to identify ways to minimize barriers to cancer screenings.