Policy and Planning Development Unit, Division of Policy Development and Strategic Plan, National Cancer Institute, Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand.
Regional Health Support Unit, Division of Policy Development and Strategic Plan, National Cancer Institute, Department of Medical Services, Ministry of Public Health, Bangkok, Thailand.
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2024 Jan 1;25(1):153-158. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2024.25.1.153.
Colorectal cancer is an important public health problem in Thailand. The health workforce is one of the key strategies to reduce the burden of cancer. They are not only involved in patient care, but they can improve public knowledge of cancer within their community. This study aimed to explore the knowledge and attitudes toward colorectal cancer among Thai healthcare workers.
A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted from October 2021 to March 2022. Convenience sampling was used to recruit study participants who worked in selected primary healthcare units or hospitals located in different regions across the country. The data on demographics and health behavior, knowledge of using the Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), and knowledge and attitudes toward colorectal cancer were collected using self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.
A total of 300 healthcare workers were recruited in the study. The majority of participants presented a healthy lifestyle: 74% were in the healthy weight range, 68% had never consumed alcohol, and 99.3% were never smokers. More than 70% of participants provided correct answers to questions about the use of a FIT kit. The mean score for knowledge of colorectal cancer was 12.16 + 2.16 (out of 14) and 240 (80%) participants were considered to have adequate knowledge. Also, colorectal cancer knowledge was associated with age of participants (p<0.05). Most of the participants (76.2-92.3%) had positive attitudes toward colorectal cancer screening, however about half of them thought that a colonoscopy could be painful, uncomfortable, and embarrassing.
Overall, the majority of participants had adequate knowledge of colorectal cancer and positive attitudes toward its screening. The present study provided overview information on practical guidance for undertaking a nationwide survey in the future.
结直肠癌是泰国的一个重要公共卫生问题。卫生工作者是减轻癌症负担的关键策略之一。他们不仅参与患者护理，还可以提高社区内公众对癌症的认识。本研究旨在探讨泰国卫生保健工作者对结直肠癌的知识和态度。
本研究采用横断面试点研究设计，于 2021 年 10 月至 2022 年 3 月进行。采用便利抽样法招募研究对象，研究对象来自全国不同地区选定的基层医疗单位或医院。使用自填式问卷收集人口统计学和健康行为、使用粪便免疫化学测试（FIT）的知识以及对结直肠癌的知识和态度方面的数据。采用描述性统计进行数据分析。
共招募了 300 名卫生保健工作者。大多数参与者的生活方式较为健康：74%的人体重处于健康范围，68%从不饮酒，99.3%从不吸烟。超过 70%的参与者对 FIT 试剂盒的使用问题给出了正确答案。结直肠癌知识的平均得分为 12.16+2.16（满分 14 分），240 名（80%）参与者被认为具有足够的知识。此外，结直肠癌知识与参与者的年龄有关（p<0.05）。大多数参与者（76.2%-92.3%）对结直肠癌筛查持积极态度，但约一半的参与者认为结肠镜检查可能会引起疼痛、不适和尴尬。
总体而言，大多数参与者对结直肠癌有足够的认识，对其筛查持积极态度。本研究为未来开展全国性调查提供了实践指导方面的概况信息。
