Khamjan Nizar A, Ahmed Fawziah A, Madkhali Nawar M, Ayyoub Lina A, Dighriri Razan Y, Kariri Khulood A, Kamli Hossam, Shubayr Nasser
Medical Laboratory Technology, Jazan University, Jazan, SAU.
Clinical Laboratory Sciences, King Khalid University, Abha, SAU.
Cureus. 2023 Sep 7;15(9):e44871. doi: 10.7759/cureus.44871. eCollection 2023 Sep.
Cancer is a major public health problem worldwide, and medical students are expected to have adequate knowledge and awareness of the most common types of cancer. This study aimed to assess the cancer knowledge of medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia, focusing on breast cancer (BC), prostate cancer (PC), cervical cancer (CC), and colorectal cancer (CRC).
This study employed a self-administered survey to evaluate both general and specialized knowledge of cancer types. A total of 321 medical students from different academic years participated in the study. The questionnaire used a scoring system where each correct answer was given one point, and each incorrect answer or "I don't know" response was given zero points.
The overall knowledge scores were 18.75 ± 4.43 out of 28 (67%). The students had a good level of general knowledge about cancer (5.26 ± 1.44 out of 7, 75%) and breast cancer (5.47 ± 1.44 out of 7, 78%) and a moderate knowledge level of prostate cancer (2.83 ± 1.07 out of 4, 71%), cervical cancer (2.74 ± 1.53 out of 5, 55%), and colorectal cancer (2.55 ± 1.61 out of 5, 50%). There were significant differences in cancer knowledge by gender, academic year, and having a relative or friend with cancer. All types of cancer knowledge were positively and significantly correlated with each other.
This study revealed the strengths and weaknesses of cancer knowledge among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia. The overall score for knowledge indicated a moderate level. The students had some knowledge about cancer prevention, detection, and treatment, but some gaps and misconceptions need to be addressed. More education and awareness programs are necessary to improve cancer literacy among students and promote healthy behaviors that can reduce cancer risk.
癌症是全球主要的公共卫生问题，人们期望医学生对最常见的癌症类型有足够的知识和认识。本研究旨在评估沙特阿拉伯吉赞大学医学生的癌症知识，重点关注乳腺癌（BC）、前列腺癌（PC）、宫颈癌（CC）和结直肠癌（CRC）。
本研究采用自填式调查问卷来评估癌症类型的一般知识和专业知识。共有来自不同学年的321名医学生参与了该研究。问卷采用评分系统，每个正确答案得1分，每个错误答案或“我不知道”的回答得0分。
在满分为28分的情况下，总体知识得分是18.75±4.43（67%）。学生们对癌症（7分中得5.26±1.44分，75%）和乳腺癌（7分中得5.47±1.44分，78%）有较好的一般知识水平，对前列腺癌（4分中得2.83±1.07分，71%）、宫颈癌（5分中得2.74±1.53分，55%）和结直肠癌（5分中得2.55±1.61分，50%）的知识水平中等。在癌症知识方面，性别、学年以及是否有患癌症的亲属或朋友之间存在显著差异。所有类型的癌症知识彼此之间呈显著正相关。
本研究揭示了沙特阿拉伯吉赞大学医学生在癌症知识方面的优势和不足。知识的总体得分表明处于中等水平。学生们对癌症预防、检测和治疗有一定的了解，但仍存在一些差距和误解需要解决。需要开展更多的教育和宣传项目，以提高学生的癌症素养，并促进能够降低癌症风险的健康行为。
