Smokers and drinkers awareness of oral cancer: a qualitative study using focus groups

Abstract

RESEARCHhealth promotion ingly in medical and dental research. 6,7 It is particularly suitable for identifying, exploring and explaining complex attitudes, perceptions and beliefs, 8 explaining the level of consensus around a given topic, 9 and can overcome some of the disadvantages of quantitative methods, especially non-sampling error such as the superficiality of response. As Kitzinger put so succinctly:' Focus group discussions involve bringing together, in an informal setting, groups of eight to ten subjects who are carefully selected in social demographic terms, and asking them to discuss areas of interest under the direction of a group moderator. The moderator encourages interaction and synergy between group members and ensures that their subjective experiences are explored in relation to the determined research objectives.Subjects were recruited to take part in one of the focus groups (Table 1) on a door-to-door basis by trained and experienced market research interviewers (a method widely used in social science research and more frequently in health services research) according to a strict code of conduct. 11 Group two comprised members from socio-economic grouping ABC1, group three CDE, and group one was mixed of ABC1/C2DE. Ten subjects were invited for each group; a group comprised a minimum of eight. Both the personal invitation and the incentive ensured a high turn-out. In order to avoid any possible bias, respondents were not informed of the exact nature of the research, but were told that the discussion would be centred around the topic of 'health and illness' . Oral cancer was only mentioned at the end of the discussion if it became apparent that this topic would not arise naturally. Neither dental attendance or personal knowledge of oral cancer were to be recorded. Subjects were recruited on the following basis:• Age (45-60-year-old range) • Male sex • Health status (no mouth or throat problems) • Drinking and smoking habits (either drinkers and/or smokers) • Place of residence (north east of England).The three focus group discussions (Table 1 labelled in order of completion) lasting one and a half hours were held at a central location and subjects were paid a standard fee for participating. The moderator (who conducted and analysed data from all groups) used a standardised guide for the discussion, which included Objective To examine the perceptions and understanding of oral cancer among older male drinkers and smokers in the north east of England. Design Qualitative research using focus group discussions led by an experienced moderator. Setting Residents of the north east of England in their community. Subjects Male alcohol drinkers and tobacco smokers over the age of 44 years and by socio-economic grouping. Results There is a lack of knowledge and understanding of the risk of oral cancer in this whole at-risk population sample. Even those who have direct contact with the disease profess ignorance. Information on health is perceived as confusing or distrusted. Much of this is linked to a fatal...

Dental patient awareness of smoking effects on oral health: Comparison of smokers and non-smokers

“…This agrees with previous studies evaluating patient knowledge of smoking and oral cancer. 18,20,30,31 Comparison with other reports on the effects of smoking on the other variables could not be made, since, to our knowledge, this is the first report examining dental patient awareness of smoking effects on periodontal health and wound healing. In addition, smoking status was the only variable significantly associated with overall patient awareness of these effects assessed through an 'awareness score' based on the overall numbers of correctly identified effects by the subjects.…”

“…27,28 In light of these established significant effects of smoking on oral conditions that are either relatively uncommon but life-threatening such as oral cancer, or not as serious yet affect a significant proportion of the population, such as periodontal disease, it is somewhat surprising to find that only few studies have examined patient knowledge of these effects. [15][16][17][18][19][20] Examining patient awareness of these effects could aid with at least one important preventive parameter: the targeting of 'at risk' groups for these oral diseases, i.e. smoking dental patients, with educational programs based on reasonable estimates of their existing knowledge.…”

“…[12][13][14] Despite these established negative effects of smoking on oral health, few studies examining dental patient knowledge and awareness of such effects are available. [15][16][17][18][19][20] Moreover, most of the available studies have focused on oral cancer, and none has examined other oral health aspects. The aim of this study was, therefore, to assess dental patient knowledge and awareness of the oral health effects of smoking, and to investigate the role of smoking status and sociodemographic characteristics on such knowledge.…”

Disengagement beliefs in South Asian immigrant smokeless tobacco users: A qualitative study

“…In oral cancer risk literature, past research informs that tobacco and alcohol users over age 40 are at highest risk for oral cancer (Smart, 1993), but often do not appreciate their own heightened risk status (Hay et al, 2002; Horowitz, Moon, Goodman, & Yellowitz, 1998; Lowry & Craven, 1999). Therefore, investigating the role of risk perceptions and attributions along with disengagement beliefs will be useful in explaining why knowledge of health risks and risk awareness do not shape tobacco quitting decisions in a consistent manner.…”

Bridging a gap: the (lack of a) sociology of oral health and healthcare

“…Nonetheless, qualitative methods have been used to explore a myriad of different clinically relevant topics, which might broadly be categorised thus: lay experiences of oral health and healthcare, and its implications for dental service provision (e.g. Lowry and Craven 1999, Preston et al 2001, Anderson and Thomas 2003, Fitzgerald et al 2004, Kaye et al 2005; dental practitioners' attitudes and understandings of particular practices or procedures (e.g. Crossley 2004, Durham et al 2007; and problems of enacting dental health policy (e.g.…”