General public's and physicians' perception of health risk associated with radon exposure in the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a radon awareness survey to examine the level of awareness and risk perception of indoor radon exposure among the general public, medical students, and physicians of the state of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, given that long-term exposure to indoor radon increases lifetime risk of lung cancer and may pose a substantial threat to public health.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey.


METHODS
Households by telephone (500), interviews with menial laborers (200), questionnaires to shopkeepers and government employees (1,000), undergraduates (200), social science graduates (1,500), science graduates (1,500), medical students (325), and physicians (100).


METHODS
Familiarity with radioactivity and the nature and health hazards of radiation and radon.


METHODS
Significance of data trends was measured using the Kruskal-Wallis test.


RESULTS
About 30% people (excluding medical students and physicians) were aware of radon, and about 6% had knowledgeable awareness of radon. About 80% of the medical students and physicians had heard about radon and about 30.5% of them had knowledgeable awareness about radon and its hazards.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggested a positive relationship of awareness of radon and its hazards with the educational level of people.
Rafique
Muhammad
M
Department of Physics, University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarbad 13100, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. rafi_722002@yahoo.com
Jabeen
Shahida
S
Shahzad
M Ikram
MI
D003625:Data Collection; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D010154:Pakistan; D010820:Physicians; D011639:Public Opinion; D011886:Radon / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment
D011886:Radon