title: Cancer Awareness in Aotearoa New Zealand (CAANZ), 2001 and 2015: Study Protocols.
abstract: Population cancer awareness is of interest worldwide, as efforts are made to reduce cancer incidence via changes in risk and protective behaviours. To date, few studies have described changes in awareness over time, despite significant investment in raising awareness about various cancer types and risk behaviours. This paper describes the Cancer Awareness in Aotearoa New Zealand (CAANZ) survey, a cross-sectional telephone survey of adult New Zealanders conducted in 2014/2015 (CAANZ15, n = 1064) and its comparison with a similar 2001 study (CAANZ01, n = 438). Both aimed to describe current cancer awareness among a national sample of New Zealand (NZ) adults, with additional aims for CAANZ15 being to explore emerging issues in information provision and supportive care. Follow-up studies are challenged by changes in communication technologies and, in turn, potential issues in sampling. However, given the value of information about changing awareness, pragmatic steps were taken in CAANZ15 to maximise the response rate and comparability of the surveys. A response rate of 64 % was achieved for both samples. When compared to the adult NZ population, the CAANZ15 sample tended to be older, of higher socioeconomic status and under-representative of people with Pacific, Asian or, to a lesser extent, Māori (the indigenous population of NZ) ethnicity. To compensate for possible disproportionate age-by-ethnicity (Māori/non-Māori) groups in the sample, poststratification weighting was adopted. While caution will need to be exercised in drawing conclusions from comparisons made between these two cohorts, the dearth of such studies means that insights gained should be useful for guiding reflection on future cancer control directions and the generation of new hypotheses.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand. rose.richards@otago.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Rosalina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Bronwen
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McNoe
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ella
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iosua
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reeder
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Egan
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marsh
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robertson
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Brett
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Maclennan
authors.affiliation: Kōhatu - Centre for Hauora Māori, Division of Health Sciences, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quigg
authors.affiliation: Cancer Society Social and Behavioural Research Unit, Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Anne-Cathrine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Petersen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009520:New Zealand; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Awareness; Cross-sectional; Perceptions