Campaign awareness and oral cancer knowledge in UK resident adult Bangladeshi: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background:This study reports awareness of the ‘Open up to Mouth Cancer’ campaign materials and oral cancer knowledge among two UK adult Bangladeshi communities, both at high risk for oral cancer.Methods:Differences in the outcomes of campaign awareness and knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and early signs were compared between campaign and comparison areas. Home-based interviews were conducted with representative samples from both areas by bilingual interviewers. Data collected included a modified 36-item Humphris Oral Cancer Knowledge Scale and socio-demographic information. The data were collected 4 weeks after the campaign completion and analysed using χ2-tests and binary logistic regressions.Results:The response rate was 77%. Both awareness of the campaign materials (29.99% (95% confidence interval (CI) 15.82, 46.99) vs 8.12% (95% CI 6.16, 10.62)) and the mean Humphris Oral Cancer Knowledge Scale scores (13.32 (95% CI 11.06, 15.57) vs 8.27 (95% CI 6.59, 9.94)) were higher in the campaign area. The campaign area sample was significantly more likely to be aware of the materials (odds ratio (OR)=6.03, 95% CI 3.00, 12.1).Conclusion:Superior awareness and oral cancer knowledge was identified in the community with access to the campaign materials. Further evaluation to identify long-term campaign impact is required.