Perceptions and Practices of General Practitioners towards Oral Cancer and Emerging Risk Factors among Indian Immigrants in Australia: A Qualitative Study

Nidhi Saraswat, Rona Pillay, Neeta Prabhu, Bronwyn Everett and Ajesh George
Additional contact information
Nidhi Saraswat: Centre for Oral Health Outcomes and Research Translation (COHORT), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Western Sydney University, Liverpool, NSW 1871, Australia
Rona Pillay: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Parramatta, NSW 2116, Australia
Neeta Prabhu: Paediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health, School of Dentistry, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW 2006, Australia
Bronwyn Everett: Centre for Oral Health Outcomes and Research Translation (COHORT), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Western Sydney University, Liverpool, NSW 1871, Australia
Ajesh George: Centre for Oral Health Outcomes and Research Translation (COHORT), Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, School of Nursing and Midwifery, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Western Sydney University, Liverpool, NSW 1871, Australia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-16

Abstract: Background: In Australia, Indian immigrants are one of the fastest-growing communities. Since oral cancer is widespread in India, the indulgence of Indians in customs of areca (betel) nut use in Australia may be linked to the recent rise in oral cancer cases. Since GPs (general practitioners) are primary healthcare providers, it is pivotal to ensure the oral cancer awareness of GPs. This study aimed to explore oral cancer risk-related knowledge, beliefs, and clinical practices of GPs in Australia. Methods: Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs practicing across New South Wales and Victoria. Purposive and snowball sampling were used for recruitment. Data were analysed through a directed content analysis approach. Results: All GPs were knowledgeable of major oral cancer causative factors including tobacco and alcohol, but some had limited understanding about the risks associated with areca nut preparations. Positive attitudes were evident, with all participants acknowledging the importance of oral cancer risk assessment. Most GPs recalled not performing oral cancer routine check-ups. Conclusion: GPs presented good oral cancer knowledge except for emerging risk factors such as areca nut use. Varied beliefs and inconsistent clinical practices relating to oral cancer screening is concerning. Accessible oral cancer training around emerging risk factors may benefit GPs.

Keywords: oral cancer; knowledge; awareness; beliefs; perceptions; clinical practices; general practitioners; Indian immigrants; Australia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11111/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/21/11111/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:21:p:11111-:d:662463

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().