Gedefaw Adugna, Yilma Tesfahun Melese, Endehabtu Berhanu Fikadie
Department of Health Informatics, Debre Tabor Health Science College, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Department of Health Informatics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Cancer Manag Res. 2020 Jun 22;12:4829-4839. doi: 10.2147/CMAR.S259849. eCollection 2020.
Cancer is among the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa over the last few years, putting a tremendous physical, emotional, and financial strain on individuals, families, and health systems. Many health systems in sub-Saharan Africa are least prepared to manage this burden, and a large number of individuals do not have access to quality cancer-related information to prevent and manage cancer. Understanding the information seeking behavior of individuals, especially university students who are more likely to seek health information than other people, can be seen as an opportunity to provide resources to improve lifestyle or prevent possible health-threatening behaviors of individuals.
This study aimed to assess cancer information seeking behavior (CISB) and its associated factors among students in Debre Tabor University, Ethiopia.
An institution-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among students at Debre Tabor University from March 01 to March 30, 2019. A total of 844 students were selected using a multistage stratified sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire by trained data collectors. Data entry and analyses were performed using Epi info version 7.2 and SPSS version 20, respectively. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore the socio-demographic information and cancer information seeking behavior. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with cancer information seeking.
The proportion of cancer information seeking by students in the past 12 months was 30.1%. Their preferred source of information about cancer was health-care providers (48%) followed by the Internet (27.6%). Year of study, Internet access (AOR=6.07, 95% CI= 4.05, 9.10), health literacy level (AOR=1.8, 95% CI=1.21, 2.68), self-reported health condition (AOR=1.85, 95% CI=1.25, 2.73), perceived susceptibility to cancer (AOR=2.48, 95% CI=1.47, 4.2), and perceived severity of cancer (AOR=3.33, 95% CI=1.85, 6.0) were the factors associated with cancer information seeking.
The proportion of cancer information seeking among university students was low. Being 3rd- and 4th-year student, internet access, being healthy, adequate health literacy level, concerning about cancer, and higher perceived severity of cancer were significantly associated with cancer information seeking. Increase health literacy and awareness creation about cancer for students will help to seek cancer information.
在过去几年中，癌症是撒哈拉以南非洲地区主要的死亡原因之一，给个人、家庭和卫生系统带来了巨大的身体、情感和经济压力。撒哈拉以南非洲地区的许多卫生系统最没有准备好应对这一负担，大量个人无法获得优质的癌症相关信息来预防和管理癌症。了解个人的信息寻求行为，尤其是比其他人更有可能寻求健康信息的大学生的信息寻求行为，可被视为提供资源以改善生活方式或预防个人可能的健康威胁行为的一个机会。
本研究旨在评估埃塞俄比亚德布雷塔博尔大学学生的癌症信息寻求行为（CISB）及其相关因素。
2019年3月1日至3月３０日，在德布雷塔博尔大学的学生中开展了一项基于机构的横断面研究设计。使用多阶段分层抽样技术共选取了844名学生。由经过培训的数据收集员使用结构化且经过预测试的问卷收集数据。分别使用Epi info 7.2版和SPSS 20版进行数据录入和分析。描述性和推断性统计用于探索社会人口学信息和癌症信息寻求行为。二元逻辑回归用于确定与癌症信息寻求相关的因素。
过去12个月中寻求癌症信息的学生比例为30.1%。他们首选的癌症信息来源是医疗保健提供者（48%），其次是互联网（27.6%）。学年、互联网接入情况（比值比[AOR]=6.07，95%置信区间[CI]=4.05，9.10）、健康素养水平（AOR=1.8，95%CI=1.21，2.68）、自我报告的健康状况（AOR=1.85，95%CI=1.25，2.73）、感知到的患癌易感性（AOR=2.48，95%CI=1.47，4.2）以及感知到的癌症严重性（AOR=3.33，95%CI=1.85，6.0）是与癌症信息寻求相关的因素。
大学生中寻求癌症信息的比例较低。作为三年级和四年级学生、有互联网接入、身体健康、具备足够的健康素养水平、关注癌症以及更高的癌症感知严重性与癌症信息寻求显著相关。提高学生的健康素养和癌症相关意识将有助于他们寻求癌症信息。
