title: Public awareness of gastric cancer risk factors and disease screening in a high risk region: a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study involved a population-based survey to provide evidence of public awareness of risk factors of gastric cancer and to investigate attitudes for the screening of gastric cancer in the South Korean population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a nationwide random selection method, 2014 subjects were enrolled in the study between 5 September 2006 and 25 September 2006.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In terms of the awareness of risk factors, awareness was scored as the percentage of the probability of developing gastric cancer when a subject had a particular risk factor. For the risk factors, stress ranked highest with a score of 73.5%, followed by chronic gastritis (score of 72.1%), gastric ulcer (score of 71.2%) and a previous gastrectomy history (score of 68.7%). Other factors included a diet of charred foods (score of 67.3%), alcohol use (score of 65.3%), salty diet (score of 65.1%), history of smoking (score of 64.3%) and Helicobacter pylori infection (score of 57.5%). Subjects believed that 60.4% of all gastric cancers were preventable by lifestyle modification and the subjects believed that regular screening could prevent 72.1% of all gastric cancers. However, 54% of subjects did not receive regular screening and the most common reason for not undergoing screening was a lack of symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Public education about the risk factors of gastric cancer and of lifestyle modifications and the importance of regular screening regardless of the presence of symptoms should be emphasized to reduce gastric cancer mortality in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Do-Youn
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Kui Son
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hae-Rim
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Yung-Jue
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Bang
references.citation: Eur J Cancer. 2005 Feb;41(3):393-7
references.pmid: 15691638
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2006 Jul 1;119(1):196-201
references.pmid: 16450397
references.citation: Eur J Cancer Prev. 2004 Aug;13(4):249-56
references.pmid: 15554551
references.citation: Best Pract Res Clin Gastroenterol. 2006;20(4):633-49
references.pmid: 16997150
references.citation: Nat Clin Pract Oncol. 2006 Nov;3(11):612-20
references.pmid: 17080179
references.citation: Prev Med. 1984 Jan;13(1):115-26
references.pmid: 6718327
references.citation: Eur J Cancer Prev. 2004 Aug;13(4):257-62
references.pmid: 15554552
references.citation: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2006 Oct;15(10):1998-2001
references.pmid: 17035412
references.citation: Eur J Cancer. 2006 Oct;42(15):2585-9
references.pmid: 16829071
references.citation: Eur J Cancer. 2001 Oct;37 Suppl 8:S118-27
references.pmid: 11602378
references.citation: Epidemiology. 1993 Sep;4(5):407-14
references.pmid: 8399688
references.citation: Gastroenterol Nurs. 2006 Jan-Feb;29(1):42-9
references.pmid: 16552299
references.citation: Prev Med. 2005 Jul;41(1):23-9
references.pmid: 15916989
references.citation: Br J Cancer. 2006 Sep 4;95(5):639-41
references.pmid: 16909137
references.citation: Am J Epidemiol. 2003 Mar 1;157(5):415-23
references.pmid: 12615606
references.citation: Soc Sci Med. 2006 Jun;62(12):2998-3010
references.pmid: 16403597
references.citation: J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Jul;21(7):779-85
references.pmid: 16808782
references.citation: CA Cancer J Clin. 2005 Mar-Apr;55(2):74-108
references.pmid: 15761078
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2003 Dec 20;107(6):1023-9
references.pmid: 14601065
references.citation: World J Gastroenterol. 2006 Jan 21;12(3):354-62
references.pmid: 16489633
references.citation: Int J Epidemiol. 1996 Dec;25(6):1146-53
references.pmid: 9027518
references.citation: Int J Cancer. 2001 Mar 15;91(6):888-93
references.pmid: 11275996
references.citation: Eur J Epidemiol. 2004;19(7):631-41
references.pmid: 15461194
references.citation: Eur J Cancer Prev. 2005 Dec;14(6):519-24
references.pmid: 16284496