Assessing the Knowledge of Environmental Risk Factors for Cancer among the UAE Population: A Pilot Study

Samrein B.M. Ahmed, Sara Amer, Amal Hussein, Drishti D. Kampani, Nour Al Hasham, Mohamed M. Assker, Nour Shawa, Dima Saleh and Khalid O. Alfarouk
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Samrein B.M. Ahmed: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Sara Amer: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Amal Hussein: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Drishti D. Kampani: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Nour Al Hasham: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Mohamed M. Assker: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Nour Shawa: Sharjah Institute for Medical Research, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Dima Saleh: College of medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah 27272, UAE
Khalid O. Alfarouk: Alfarouk Biomedical Research LLC, Temple Terrace, FL 33617, USA

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-12

Abstract: The incidence of cancer is increasing worldwide as well as in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Currently, researchers are advocating not only for prevention programs but also for early detection. In this study, we aimed to assess the general awareness of cancer among the UAE population, with a focus on environmental risk factors. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, and a structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 385 participants. A total of 91.2% of the study population identified cancer as the leading cause of death, while 64.6% of the subjects were able to identify the key causes of cancer. A total of 87.3% and 70.5% of the participants were able to define tobacco and alcohol, respectively, as cancer-causing agents. Most of the study population failed to identify cancer-related infectious agents and incense smoke as carcinogens. Respondents in the medical professions had the highest knowledge score when compared with respondents with a non-medical profession and unemployed participants ( p < 0.0005). To fill the gaps in cancer-related knowledge, participants were asked about their preferred method for cancer education, and 83.9% of the participants favored the media as a source of information. Conclusively, our findings indicated a gap in cancer knowledge among UAE residents, which highlights the importance of educational campaigns by health authorities; a follow-up study evaluating the success of educational campaigns is also warranted.

Keywords: cancer; environment; risk factors; UAE population; knowledge (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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