Community Medicine Abstracts - College of Medicine and Health ...

Project No. 14 (1992)UAE Community Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Cancer and itsScreening testsStudent Authors: Fatma Hyay Al MansouriFaculty Supervisors: Dr. R. Sokas, Dr. M. MoussaAbstract:Objectives To assess general public awareness, attitude, and practice towards cancerand its screening tests and to determine the prevalence of check-up visits, BSE andPap Smears in UAE.Methods The study included 153 national women who were interviewed through homevisits in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain areas.Results and Conclusion It was found that women in the UAE exhibit a high degree ofanxiety about cancer, the majority think that cancer cannot be prevented. Over half oUAE women (55%) do not feel comfortable eating, drinking, socializing, working, orliving with a cancer patient. Highly educated women and those who have lived with acancer patient or had a family member with cancer felt significantly less discomfort intheir dealings with cancer patients. Only a fraction of UAE females are aware of thepotential benefit, practice of cancer screening procedures, such as physical check-up(7.2%), BSE (4.6%) and Papsmears (3.6%). Most women fail to have screeningprocedures because they do not have symptoms. There is a great demand foreducational programmes.