Knowledge and Awareness About Gastric Cancer Among the General Population in Al-Baha City, Saudi Arabia.

Autor: Alghamdi AG; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alshareef AM; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alzahrani AT; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alharthi ZS; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alghamdi SS; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alghamdi AM; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alzahrani FA; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU., Alzahrani RA; College of Medicine, Al-Baha university, Al-Baha, SAU.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Cureus [Cureus] 2023 May 28; Vol. 15 (5), pp. e39589. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 28 (Print Publication: 2023).
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.39589
Abstrakt: Background Gastric cancer is a significant health concern worldwide, and its incidence varies across different populations. This study aimed to assess the level of knowledge and awareness of gastric cancer among the general population in Al-Baha City, Saudi Arabia.  Methodology This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted among the residents of Al-Baha city older than 18 years. The study was conducted based on a questionnaire that has been developed by a previous study. Data were initially recorded in an Excel sheet before being exported to the SPSS program, version 25 for data analysis. Results The survey included 426 respondents from Al-Baha city, Saudi Arabia, with 56.8% being females and the majority being in the age groups (21-30 years). Alcohol consumption (mean=4.5, SD= 0.77), smoking cigarettes or Shisha (mean= 4.38, SD=0.852), family history of gastric cancer (mean= 4, SD=1.008), a past medical history of gastric cancer (mean= 3.99, SD=0.911), stomach ulcer (mean=3.76, SD=0.898), and consumption of smoked food (mean= 3.69, SD=0.956) are the most widely recognized risk factors. The most highly recognized symptoms are gastrointestinal bleeding (mean= 4.03, SD=0.875), abdominal lump (mean= 3.94, SD=0.926), weight loss (mean= 3.93, SD=0.963), recurrent nausea and vomiting (mean=3.76, SD=0.956), and abdominal pain (mean= 3.57, SD=0.995). The study also identified several subgroups of the population that may benefit from targeted educational programs, including individuals in the age group of 41-50 years and those in non-medical occupations. Conclusion The study found that participants had a moderate level of knowledge about the risk factors and symptoms of gastric cancer, with significant variability among different subgroups of the population. Further research is needed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of gastric cancer in Saudi Arabia and other similar populations, to develop effective prevention and management strategies for this disease.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
(Copyright © 2023, Alghamdi et al.)
Databáze: MEDLINE