Alzahrani Khalid M, Fallatah Shouq M, Almehmadi Rahaf A, Alghamdi Jana S, Alsulaimani Abeer I, Alkhaldi Layla M, Alsuwayhi Ali G
General Surgery, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
College of Medicine, Taif University, Taif, SAU.
Cureus. 2022 Jul 28;14(7):e27404. doi: 10.7759/cureus.27404. eCollection 2022 Jul.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is defined as a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum. CRC is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among Saudi males and ranks third in female individuals. Awareness among the population about CRC symptoms, risk factors, and screening tests is essential for preventing further morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess CRC knowledge in the western region of Saudi Arabia, as well as awareness of CRC risk factors, symptoms, and screening based on various demographic data.
We conducted a cross-sectional study with a representative random sample of 358 Saudi residents in the western region. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed through social media sites starting from October 2021 till December 2021. Participants' awareness of CRC risk factors, symptoms, and screening was assessed using the questionnaire. For data analysis, we used SPSS Statistics, version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY).
Of the 385 participants, 76.4% were females, and most participants had a university degree level of education. Study respondents reported fear of colonoscopy as the top reason why they avoided CRC screening. Most participants (63.4%) showed insufficient knowledge. Certain factors showed a significant association with the participants' knowledge about CRC, such as age (p<.001), higher education (p=.002), and having a career in health care (p=.002).
As the study resulted in overall insufficient knowledge about CRC among respondents, certain factors showed a significant association with the knowledge level. Raising awareness and health promotion programs should target older age groups and those with below university degree level of education to ultimately prevent morbidity and mortality related to colorectal cancer.
结直肠癌（CRC）是指起源于结肠或直肠的癌症。结直肠癌是沙特男性中最常被诊断出的癌症，在女性中排名第三。提高公众对结直肠癌症状、风险因素和筛查测试的认识对于预防进一步的发病和死亡至关重要。本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯西部地区居民对结直肠癌的了解情况，以及基于各种人口统计学数据对结直肠癌风险因素、症状和筛查的认识。
我们对沙特西部地区358名居民进行了一项具有代表性的横断面随机抽样研究。从2021年10月至2021年12月，通过社交媒体网站发放了一份自填式问卷。使用该问卷评估参与者对结直肠癌风险因素、症状和筛查的认识。数据分析使用SPSS Statistics 24版（IBM公司，纽约州阿蒙克）。
在385名参与者中，76.4%为女性，大多数参与者拥有大学学历。研究受访者表示，害怕结肠镜检查是他们避免进行结直肠癌筛查的首要原因。大多数参与者（63.4%）知识不足。某些因素与参与者对结直肠癌的了解存在显著关联，如年龄（p<0.001）、高等教育程度（p=0.002）以及从事医疗保健工作（p=0.002）。
由于该研究结果显示受访者对结直肠癌的总体了解不足，某些因素与知识水平存在显著关联。提高认识和健康促进项目应针对老年人群体以及大学学历以下的人群，以最终预防与结直肠癌相关的发病和死亡。
