Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, LB.
Department of Research Training and Communication, Nouna Health Research Center (CRSN), Nouna, BF.
Ann Glob Health. 2019 May 28;85(1):75. doi: 10.5334/aogh.2437.
Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) provides an effective strategy for early detection and prevention of the disease; however, global screening rates are still low.
This study aims at assessing the awareness of CRC risk factors, warning signs, and attitudes towards CRC guidelines and screening modalities, in order to identify the barriers to and correlates of CRC screening in the Lebanese population.
A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 371 participants in the largest health care medical center in Lebanon. A validated 12- and 9-item Cancer Awareness Measurement questionnaire was used to assess participants' awareness of CRC risk factors and warning signs.
83% and 67% of participants were not aware of CRC risk factors and warning signs, respectively, 15% have previously undergone CRC screening, 56% were aware of the necessity for screening, and 43% were willing to undergo screening. Factors affecting awareness of the necessity for CRC screening, past screening and willingness to screen included awareness of risk factors and warning signs, undergoing regular physician check-ups, having a family physician as a primary source of knowledge of CRC, and knowing a family member or friend diagnosed with CRC. Barriers to screening were related to participants' evaluation of the screening technique and misconceptions about this disease.
Serious active measures should be taken by health care sectors, authoritative groups, primary care physicians, and awareness campaigns to fill the gap in awareness of this disease and to alleviate the barriers and misconceptions around it.
结直肠癌（CRC）筛查为早期发现和预防该疾病提供了有效策略；然而，全球筛查率仍然较低。
本研究旨在评估黎巴嫩人群对 CRC 风险因素、预警信号以及对 CRC 指南和筛查方式的态度的认知，以确定 CRC 筛查的障碍和相关因素。
在黎巴嫩最大的医疗保健中心向 371 名参与者分发了一份自我管理问卷。使用经过验证的 12 项和 9 项癌症认知测量问卷来评估参与者对 CRC 风险因素和预警信号的认知。
分别有 83%和 67%的参与者不知道 CRC 的风险因素和预警信号，15%的参与者曾接受过 CRC 筛查，56%的人意识到筛查的必要性，43%的人愿意接受筛查。影响 CRC 筛查必要性、过去筛查和筛查意愿认知的因素包括对风险因素和预警信号的认知、定期进行医生检查、将家庭医生作为 CRC 知识的主要来源，以及认识患有 CRC 的家庭成员或朋友。筛查的障碍与参与者对筛查技术的评估以及对该疾病的误解有关。
医疗保健部门、权威团体、初级保健医生和宣传活动应采取认真的积极措施，填补对该疾病认知的空白，并减轻围绕该疾病的障碍和误解。
