Public awareness and knowledge about colorectal cancer screening in Saudi Arabia

Zeyad Omar Alsehemi

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20243787

Authors

Zeyad Omar Alsehemi Department of Surgery, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20243787

Keywords:

Gastroenterology, Colon tumor, Colon cancer prevention, Public knowledge, Public health education

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant global health concern, ranking second among women and third among men in cancer diagnoses worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, CRC has been the most prevalent cancer in men since 2002. Despite rising incidence rates, public awareness and understanding of CRC screening remain critical for early detection and effective intervention. This study assesses public awareness and knowledge regarding CRC screening in Saudi Arabia.

Methods: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted using Google forms to gather data from Saudi Arabia's overall population from 5th December 2023 to 20th December 2023. The online questionnaire included demographic information and assessed participants' knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward CRC screening. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 26.

Results: Of the 461 participants, 61.4% were female, 38.6% were male, and 53.1% were 50 or older. Only 13.1% of participants aged 50 and above had undergone CRC screening. A significant proportion (55.1%) in other age groups remained undecided about future screening. Lack of awareness (51.9%) was the primary reason for refusal or hesitation. Participants exhibited limited awareness of CRC's global prevalence (50.3%) and the recommended screening age (36.4%). Significant associations were found between awareness levels, gender, education, and age groups.

Conclusions: The study highlights a substantial need for more awareness and knowledge about CRC screening in Saudi Arabia, particularly among specific demographic groups. Targeted awareness campaigns are crucial, focusing on increasing knowledge about risk factors, symptoms, and the importance of early screening.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

World Health Organization. Global Cancer Observatory. International Agency for Research on Cancer. World Health Organization. Available at: https://gco.iarc.fr/. Accessed on 10 November 2024.

Morgan E, Arnold M, Gini A, Lorenzoni V, Cabasag CJ, Laversanne M, et al. Global burden of colorectal cancer in 2020 and 2040: Incidence and mortality estimates from GLOBOCAN. Gut. 2023;72(2):338-44.

Nasser A, Samar A, Denise H, Shouki B. Colorectal cancer in Saudi Arabia: incidence, survival, demographics and implications for national policies. Ann Saudi Med. 2015;35(3):196-202.

Chiu HM, Jen GHH, Wang YW, Ching-Yuan FJ, Chen-Yang H, Ya-Chung J, et al. Long-term effectiveness of fecal immunochemical test screening for proximal and distal colorectal cancers. Gut. 2021;70(12):2321-9.

Zheng S, Schrijvers JJA, Greuter MJW, Kats-Ugurlu G, Lu W, de Bock GH. Effectiveness of Colorectal Cancer (CRC) Screening on All-Cause and CRC-Specific Mortality Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cancers (Basel). 2023;15(7):1948.

Segnan N, Armaroli P, Bonelli L, Mauro R, Stefania S, Marco Z, et al. Once-only sigmoidoscopy in colorectal cancer screening: follow-up findings of the Italian Randomized Controlled Trial-SCORE. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2011;103(17):1310-22.

Mandel JS, Bond JH, Church TR, Snover DC, Bradley GM, Schuman LM, et al. Reducing mortality from colorectal cancer by screening for fecal occult blood. N Eng J Med. 1993;328(19):1365-71.

Kronborg O, Fenger C, Olsen J, Jørgensen OD, Søndergaard O. Randomised study of screening for colorectal cancer with faecal-occult-blood test. The Lancet. 1996;348(9040):1467-71.

Hardcastle JD, Chamberlain JO, Robinson MHE, Moss SM, Amar SS, Balfour TW, et al. Randomized controlled trial of fecal-occult-blood screening for colorectal cancer. Lancet. 1996;348(9040):1472-7.

Atkin WS, Edwards R, Kralj-Hans I, Kate W, Andrew RH, John MA, et al. Once-only flexible sigmoidoscopy screening in prevention of colorectal cancer: a multicentre randomized controlled trial. The Lancet. 2010;375(9726):1624-33.

Levin B, Lieberman DA, McFarland B, Kimberly SA, Durado B, John B, et al. Screening and surveillance for the early detection of colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps, 2008: a joint guideline from the American Cancer Society, the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer, and the American College of Radiology. Gastroenterology. 2008;134(5):1570-95.

Rex DK, Johnson DA, Anderson JC, Schoenfeld PS, Burke CA, Inadomi JM. American College of Gastroenterology guidelines for colorectal cancer screening 2008. Official journal of the American College of Gastroenterology| ACG. 2009;104(3):739-50

Force USPST, Davidson KW, Barry MJ, et al. Screening for Colorectal Cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. 2021;325(19):1965-77.

IBM Corp. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 26.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. 2019.

Dean AG SKSM. OpenEpi: OpenSource Epidemiologic Statistics for Public Health, Version. www.OpenEpi.com. Accessed 04 November 2024.

Johnson CM, Wei C, Ensor JE, Derek JS, Christopher IA, Bernard L, et al. Meta-analyses of colorectal cancer risk factors. Cancer Causes Control. 2013;24(6):1207-22.

Sawicki T, Ruszkowska M, Danielewicz A, Niedźwiedzka E, Arłukowicz T, Przybyłowicz KE. A review of colorectal cancer in terms of epidemiology, risk factors, development, symptoms, and diagnosis. Cancers (Basel). 2021;13(9):2025.

Al-Sharbatti S, Muttappallymyalil J, Sreedharan J, Almosawy Y. Predictors of colorectal cancer knowledge among adults in the United Arab Emirates. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2017;18(9):2355-9.

Tfaily MA, Naamani D, Kassir A, Sara S, Mamadou O, Munir PM, et al. Awareness of colorectal cancer and attitudes towards its screening guidelines in Lebanon. Ann Glob Health. 2019;85(1):75.

Wardle J, Miles A, Atkin W. Gender differences in utilization of colorectal cancer screening. J Med Screen. 2005;12(1):20-7.

Koo JH, Arasaratnam MM, Liu K, Diane MR, Susan JC, Joseph JYS, et al. Knowledge, perception, and practices of colorectal cancer screening in an ethnically diverse population. Cancer Epidemiol. 2010;34(5):604-10.

Power E, Simon A, Juszczyk D, Hiom S, Wardle J. Assessing awareness of colorectal cancer symptoms: Measure development and results from a population survey in the UK. BMC Cancer. 2011;11(1):366.