Levels and correlates of knowledge about cancer risk factors among 13,293 public school students in Morelos, Mexico
| Autor: | Eduardo Lazcano-Ponce, Silvia Ruiz-Velasco, Betania Allen, Irma Pérez-Contreras, Aurelio Cruz-Valdez, Raffaela Schiavon-Errnani, Clara Hernández |
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| Rok vydání: | 2004 |
| Předmět: |
Gerontology
Adult Male Health Knowledge Attitudes Practice Multivariate analysis Adolescent Epidemiology Cross-sectional study Cohort Studies Sex Factors Risk Factors Intervention (counseling) Neoplasms Surveys and Questionnaires Medicine Humans Young adult Child Students Mexico Cancer prevention Schools business.industry Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Age Factors Cancer medicine.disease Cross-Sectional Studies Logistic Models Socioeconomic Factors Scale (social sciences) Multivariate Analysis Female business Demography Cohort study |
| Zdroj: | Preventive medicine. 39(2) |
| ISSN: | 0091-7435 |
| Popis: | Background. Data on young people's knowledge about cancer prevention are not currently available for many populations, including Mexican young people, although cancer is the second most common cause of death among the Mexican population. Methods. A questionnaire was applied to 13,293 public school students aged 11–24 years in Morelos, Mexico. A knowledge-based scale was constructed from survey answers about risk factors for cancer. Data were analyzed using multivariate logistic multinomial models. Results. Knowledge levels were low: 78% of male and 74% of female students had only wrong answers to questions about risk factors for cancer. A significant dose–response gradient was observed between age and knowledge of cancer risk factors (P < 0.001), with a higher prevalence in young women at all ages (female students OR 4.6, 95% CI 3.81–5.66). Students 18 years old and older knew more than 13-year-olds (OR = 2.39; 95% CI 1.89–3.01). Sexually active students (OR 2.10; 95% CI 1.70–2.58), especially those who consistently used condoms (OR 2.84; 95% CI 1.00–8.07), knew more about cancer prevention. Tobacco smoking was the most frequently recognized cancer risk factor, and smokers also recognized this as an important cause of cancer (OR 1.37; 95% CI 1.44–2.52). Conclusions. Our results reveal a poor level of knowledge about cancer prevention among adolescents. These data are the first step in the development of an intervention based on empirical findings that will be susceptible to evaluation. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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