Effectiveness of Awareness Programme on Knowledge on Oral Cancer and its Prevention among Adolescents in Selected Intermediate School of Moradabad, UP

Abstract

Oral cancer, preventable if a person is aware of which risk factor is responsible of causing oral cancer and which risk factors a person can control or eliminate. A cross sectional study in Lucknow district (UP) found that out of 508 cases, a majority of the samples in the age group 18 - 75 years were involved. Documented cases of oral cancer in males were higher as compared to females, with poor level of knowledge. From 2012 to 2016 a retrospective study was performed in Moradabad hospital, UP. Results of 200 oral biopsies were reviewed, 130 biopsies were pre-malignant, 40 were malignant and remaining 30 were others. Pre-malignant and malignant oral lesions were infectious in the patients attending the hospital in Moradabad district. A quantitative research approach was used to conduct this study using pre-experimental one group pre-test and post-test research design on 80 participants. The conceptual framework of this study was health belief model. Non-probability purposive sampling techniques was used to select the participants, self-structured questionnaire on knowledge concerning oral cancer and prevention of oral cancer was used to collect data. There was less awareness among adolescents, as they had reported lack of knowledge on oral cancer and its prevention, risk factors, sign & symptoms and early detection or diagnostic concepts, no matter which background they were from. Out of total, 84.3 percent participants reported poor knowledge and 12.0 percent participants reported average knowledge in pre-test, in post-test, 26.5 percent of participants showed average knowledge and 69.9 percent showed excellent knowledge. Findings also showed that mean post-test level of knowledge (2.72± .449) was more than mean pre-test knowledge score (1.12± .332), with mean difference of 1.6, which specifi es that awareness programme was effective in increasing level of knowledge on oral cancer and prevention of oral cancer. With the help of intervention there was an improvement in post-test score of knowledge about oral cancer and its prevention among adolescent. Present study concluded that awareness programme on oral cancer was effective as majority of participants improved their knowledge level from inadequate to excellent level of awareness regarding oral cancer and its prevention.