Exploring Youth Perceptions About Cancer Prevention and Preferences for Education: a Qualitative Study

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize adolescents’ perspectives on cancer and cancer prevention and to explore their preferences for cancer education. A total of 188 middle and high school students participated in 25 focus groups. Focus groups were led by study team members and included five to ten participants each. Adolescents were asked to discuss their cancer and cancer prevention knowledge, sources of cancer education, and preferences for cancer prevention education. Focus groups were audio-recorded, and professionally transcribed. Transcripts were content and thematically analyzed by two study team members using NVivo qualitative data software. Six themes were identified in focus groups: knowledge about cancer, negative perceptions of cancer, awareness of cancer prevention, engagement in cancer prevention, facilitators and barriers for action, and preferences for cancer education. Adolescents described a wide range of cancer education sources, including friends, family, healthcare professionals, school, technology, and pamphlets. Participants associated cancer with negative emotions, such as sadness and fear. Participants expressed interest in learning about cancer and cancer prevention, but also identified barriers to engaging in preventative behaviors, such as discomfort, lack of knowledge, and lack of personal connection to cancer. Adolescents preferred learning through personal presentations, online videos, school, educational games, and social situations. Adolescence is a critical period for learning and developing healthy behaviors. Awareness of cancer and cancer prevention is crucial to lowering cancer risk in the future. To be effective, cancer education for adolescents should target specific areas of cancer prevention and address barriers to engagement in preventative behaviors.

Assessing the effectiveness of a school educational video on cancer and radiotherapy

“…The 2018 report revealed that palliative care (6.8%), quality of life among cancer patients (11.0%) and cancer treatments (15.9%) were minimally covered in the teaching (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, 2022), and it should be assumed that it is difficult for school teachers to teach children about actual clinical practice. Importantly, a previous study has reported that adolescents prefer learning through online videos and in school (Abraham et al, 2023).…”

The effect of education given to university students on health beliefs and testicular self‐examination

“…Our study allowed us to draw some important conclusions that are consistent with the results available in the literature. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][14][15][16]…”

“…As a result, it is a valuable tool for determining what drives a person to do or refrain from taking health-related actions, as well as the circumstances in which they are most likely to display protective behaviours. 10 The health attitudes of people on the interventions to be taken for testicular cancer are important for health professionals, especially those dealing with cancer diagnoses. By organizing health trainings on the significance of early diagnosis in testicular cancer, early symptoms of the illness, and how to do TSE, nurses are anticipated to raise men's knowledge of this issue.…”

“…The HBM describes how a person's beliefs and behaviours are related, as well as how individual motivation affects the level of decision‐making regarding one's health habits. As a result, it is a valuable tool for determining what drives a person to do or refrain from taking health‐related actions, as well as the circumstances in which they are most likely to display protective behaviours 10 . The health attitudes of people on the interventions to be taken for testicular cancer are important for health professionals, especially those dealing with cancer diagnoses.…”

“…This training took an average of 45 min for each group. All materials were prepared by the researchers by reviewing expert opinion and literature 2–11,14–16 . A specialist physician in the field of the research explained how to perform testicular examination.…”