The Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Health Workers For Cancer Prevention

Abstract

DOI : 10.17681/hsp.424602 Purpose: Cancer is one of the most important health problems nowadays. With these features of disease; frequent occurance, being preventable, high mortality and being treated with early diagnosis, cancer is a matter of public health. Aim of this research, to test lifestyle and habits of health professionals, whether prevent the cancer occurance or not and to determine their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors about early diagnosis. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study has been made by 500 people meet all the conditions among health professionals working at Okmeydani Training and Research Hospital. To find out whether their lifestyle, habits and behaviors prevent cancer, survey was administered to healthcare workers. (Number Cruncher Statistical System) 2012, PASS (Power Analysis and Sample Size Software) 2016 programme was used in the statistical evaluation. Results: 49% of the participants were women, 51% were men and the averageage is 35.17±9.18 years. 44.6% of the health workers were smoking, 42.2% were using alcohol and the seratios were found to be quite high in the society as a whole. Therate of obesity in health workers was 3.6% and much lower than in the population. The level of regular clinical examination and cancer screening among the health workers was lower than expected. Conclusion: Health worker shave a high rate of using cigarettes and alcohol when they have knowledge about habits to prevent cancer and healthy living. The proportion of those with a healthy body weight is higher than that in the society; But they were found to be inadequate to have regular health checks and screening tests that would allow early detection of cancer.