Thyroid cancer risk factors and Pakistani University students’ awareness towards its preventive practice

Abstract

Objectives Thyroid Cancer is one of the rarest cancers but its prevalence has been increasing worldwide for the last couple of decades. Methods The data collection tool was designed to assess knowledge, awareness, perception, and attitude towards preventive practices of thyroid cancer in Pakistani university students. The data were collected over a duration of six months and a total number of 3722 students participated. Results The knowledge of risk factors of thyroid cancer was an important parameter of this study. The students who knew all the early signs of thyroid cancer were 28.7%. In this study, the independent variables such as age, gender, demographic location, and financial status were found to be highly significant with knowledge, attitude towards warning signs of cancer, and the perception of students about developing thyroid cancer. Conclusions The participants were found to have poor knowledge about early signs of thyroid cancer. The study participants perception, behavior, and attitude towards preventive practices of thyroid cancer were found inadequate and appropriate measures on a National level should be taken to enhance the knowledge about preventive practices of thyroid cancer. Increasing knowledge and awareness shall help decrease the overall morbidity and mortality linked with thyroid carcinomas and thyroid diseases.

Evaluation of clinical knowledge and perceptions about the development of thyroid cancer—An observational study of healthcare undergraduates in Saudi Arabia

“…This study shows that more than half of the healthcare students have a good knowledge level of TC. These results were higher than a similar study by Iqbal et al that revealed that almost all participants had poor knowledge about early signs, predisposing factors, and preventive practices of TC ( 17 ). On the contrary, a similar study conducted in Riyadh showed a similar result to our study, and it showed that the participants had a good level of knowledge ( 18 ).…”

“…In this survey, more than half of the healthcare students agreed that persistent difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss, and persistent unexplained pain as the warning sign of cancer. Conversely, a previous study by Iqbal A et al reported unexplained bleeding (45.9%), persistent difficulty in swallowing (42.5%), and unexplained weight loss (41.3%) as the early sign of TC ( 17 ).…”

“…According to a study conducted by Alyahya and colleagues among citizens of Saudi Arabia's eastern province, half of the participants, 44.7% (394), had insufficient information regarding thyroid condition ( 16 ). Furthermore, previous data revealed that approximately half of the people in the study were unaware of thyroid symptoms and risk factors ( 17 , 18 ). Thyroid abnormalities are more common in women than men in the Arabic population, with a peak age of more than 30 years, and are connected to an increased risk of anemia.…”

“…The questionnaires were prepared after an extensive literature review using similar studies published elsewhere ( 16 , 17 ). The designed questionnaire was validated in two steps.…”

“…( 8 ). Another recent study by Iqbal et al among university students reported knowledge deficiency with respect to many aspects of thyroid disease ( 17 ). Another recent study among medical students concluded insufficient knowledge and awareness of predisposing variables and TC screening ( 18 ).…”