Knowledge, attitudes, risk factors, and early detection of cancer relevant to the schoolteachers in Izmir, Turkey.

Abstract

Teachers are the population of interest because of the important role they play in education and possibly in prevention of cancer. The purpose of the research is to describe knowledge, attitudes, risk factors and early detection relevant to cancer of schoolteachers. A descriptive survey is conducted among 358 schoolteachers who are randomly selected from the eight schools in Izmir, Turkey. A self-administered questionnaire is used to investigate their knowledge in cancer, risk factors, attitudes, and early detection of cancer. Knowledge in cancer and symptoms are assessed using the data collected from a series of simple questions. Potential scores ranged from 0 to 15. In the sample, scores are distributed around a mean of 7.43 +/- 2.87. Risk factors and early detection associated with cancer are generally low.