title: Awareness regarding oral cancer and oral precancerous lesions among rural population of Belgaum district, India.
abstract: Belgaum district of Karnataka state is well known for high production and consumption of tobacco in Southern India. This study aimed to investigate the rural population's awareness of oral cancer, precancerous lesions and their risk factors. Data were collected via face to face interviews using a pretested and validated questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised two parts: part one had questions concerning socio-demographic data and part two consisted of 25 questions pertaining to people's attitudes to and awareness of risk factors for oral cancer and precancerous lesions. One researcher interviewed participants and recorded the responses verbatim. Of the participants, 17% identified all the symptoms of oral cancer and 27.8% identified all the symptoms of oral precancerous lesions. Approximately 90% of the participants had never noticed statutory warnings on tobacco and alcohol products. Awareness was especially poor in people of lower socio-economic status. This study highlights a need for education concerning the risk factors for oral cancer, its clinical manifestations and the impact of adverse habits on long term health. Health education campaigns emphasizing oral cancer need to be integrated with broader public health messages.
authors.affiliation: KLEVK Institute of Dental Sciences - Public Health Dentistry, Belgaum, Karnataka, India docrups@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Roopali
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sankeshwari
authors.affiliation: KLEVK Institute of Dental Sciences - Public Health Dentistry, Belgaum, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ankola
authors.affiliation: KLEVK Institute of Dental Sciences - Public Health Dentistry, Belgaum, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Mamata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hebbal
authors.affiliation: KLEVK Institute of Dental Sciences - Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, Belgaum, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Sidramesh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Muttagi
authors.affiliation: KLEVK Institute of Dental Sciences - Public Health Dentistry, Belgaum, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Nilam
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rawal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D012424:Rural Population; D016353:Self-Examination; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: awareness; cancer screening and prevention; oral cancer; oral health; oral precancer; public health; risk factors; rural population; tobacco