Public Awareness of Obesity as a Risk Factor for Cancer in Central Saudi Arabia: Feasibility of ChatGPT as an Educational Intervention.

Abstract

While the link between obesity and chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disorders is well-documented, there is a growing body of evidence connecting obesity with an increased risk of cancer. However, public awareness of this connection remains limited. To analyze public awareness of overweight/obesity as a risk factor for cancer and analyze public perceptions on the feasibility of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence-based conversational agent, as an educational intervention tool. A mixed-methods approach including deductive quantitative cross-sectional approach to draw precise conclusions based on empirical evidence on public awareness of the link between obesity and cancer; and inductive qualitative approach to interpret public perceptions on using ChatGPT for creating awareness of obesity, cancer and its risk factors was used in this study. Participants included adult residents in Saudi Arabia. A total of 486 individuals and 21 individuals were included in the survey and semi-structured interviews respectively. About 65% of the participants are not completely aware of cancer and its risk factors. Significant differences in awareness were observed concerning age groups (p < .0001), socio-economic status (p = .041), and regional distribution (p = .0351). A total of 10 themes were analyzed from the interview data, which included four positive factors (accessibility, personalization, cost-effectiveness, anonymity and privacy, multi-language support) and five negative factors (information inaccuracy, lack of emotional intelligence, dependency and overreliance, data privacy and security, and inability to provide physical support or diagnosis). This study has underscored the potential of leveraging ChatGPT as a valuable public awareness tool for cancer in Saudi Arabia.