[The knowledge and attitude of cancer prevention among junior high school teachers]

This study was to investigate the knowledge and attitude of cancer prevention among junior high school teachers.

This study was based on the data collected through personal interviews by the Yang-Ming Crusade, organized by students of National Yang-Ming Medical College, during the summer vacation in 1986. Arranged by 21 city/country Education Bureaus, the crusaders gave lectures on cancer prevention for junior high school teachers in every city and town throughout Taiwan area.

Totally 8,568 questionnaires (male 44.3%, female 55.7%) were filled out immediately before the lecture meetings. The results show that the cognizance rate of cervical cancer as the leading cancer (by that time) and the most curable one for women in Taiwan were 69.3% and 37.0% respectively. Pap smear test was known by 96.8% of the interviewees. As to the first source of information of the test, TV ranked highest 47.1%, followed by newspaper and hospital. The effect of "early diagnosis and early treatment" was accepted by 92.4% of the interviewees. A periodical check-up for cancer was thought essential by 93.0% of the interviewees. The concept that "herbs are effective to cure cancers" was agreed by 54.8% and disagreed by 45.2% of the interviewees. Psychological fear (43.0%), physiological suffering (30.9%), and worry of interfering family (14.6%) were considered the most dreadful situations by the interviewees in case of having cancer. Female interviewees were superior to male ones in the accuracy rate of answering the question of "what is the leading cancer and the most curable one for women in Taiwan?" (by that time). It was also found that the older the respondents were, the lower the percentage of the cognizance of knowledge about cancers.

In comparison with the primary school teachers and the general population in Lu-Ku town, the results of the knowledge and attitude of cancer prevention for junior high school teachers found in this study were similar to those of the former and better than those of the latter.