Abstract
Background: Cancer incidence in Malaysia is expected to double by 2040. Understanding cancer awareness is
important in order to tailor preventative efforts and reduce the cancer burden. The objective of this research was to
assess nationwide awareness about the signs and symptoms as well as risk factors for various cancers in Malaysia
and identify socio-demographic factors associated with awareness.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March–November 2014 in the form of a telephone
survey. Participants aged 40 years and above were randomly selected across Malaysia and interviewed using the
validated Awareness Beliefs about Cancer (ABC) measurement tool. Linear regression was conducted to test the
association between symptom and risk factor recognition and socio-demographic variables.
Results: A sample of 1895 participants completed the survey. On average, participants recognised 5.8 (SD 3.2) out
of 11 symptoms and 7.5 (SD 2.7) out of 12 risk factors. The most commonly recognised symptom was ‘lump or
swelling’ (74.5%) and the most commonly recognised risk factor was ‘smoking’ (88.7%). Factors associated with
prompted awareness were age, ethnicity, education and smoking status.
Conclusion: Recognition of symptom and risk factors for most cancers was relatively low across Malaysia compared
to previous studies in high-income countries and to studies conducted in Malaysia. There is a need to conduct
regular public health campaigns and interventions designed to improve cancer awareness and knowledge as a first
step towards increasing the early detection of cancer.
Original language | English |
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Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | BMC Public Health |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 06 Apr 2020 |