ASPO Abstracts
Gender disparities in oral cancer knowledge
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Gender disparities exist in oral cancer incidence and mortality, with menexperiencing higher risk than women. Survival depends on cancer stage at diagnosis, and may be greatly improvedwith early detection. Lack of oral cancer screening knowledge may delay diagnosis and contribute tolower survival rates. The objective of this study was to assess gender disparities in oral cancerknowledge among adults in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. Methods: We recruited 425 non-institutionalized St. Louis residents, aged 18-65, toparticipate in an online survey via Facebook (07/2017-09/2018). Students (n=134), and records with missing data(n=4) were removed from the analysis, leaving 287 for analysis. Oral cancer knowledge was measuredusing 12 validated items. Chi-square and t-tests were used to compare differences in item responsesbetween males and females, as appropriate. Results: Participants were more likely to be female (61.3%) than male (33.4%). Overall,the mean oral cancer knowledge score was 5.90 (range 0-12). Women were more likely than men to correctlyidentify three survey items regarding the signs of mouth cancer (an ulcer that does not heal, 97.6%vs. 83.9%; dizziness, 69.2% vs. 45.2%; and a rash on the face, 49.3% vs. 29.8%). Likewise, women weremore likely than men to correctly identify four items regarding knowledge about checkups for oralcancer (checkups required if you wear a denture, 92.0% vs. 80.3%; screening performed via x-ray, 58.3% vs.42.6%; screening can detect oral cancer at earlier stages, 96.8% vs. 88.2%; and screening onlylasts a few minutes, 86.5% vs. 69.6%). The only item where men correctly identified risk more thanwomen was that oral cancer is more common among elderly individuals (69.4% vs. 42.3%).Conclusions: Oral cancer incidence and mortality is more than twice as high for men thanwomen. However, oral cancer screening knowledge is significantly lower among men than women. Thishighlights the need to improve oral cancer screening knowledge among higher risk groups, especiallymen prior to implementing screening interventions. Additionally, since oral HPV infection is moreprevalent among men, increasing awareness of oral cancer risk factors among men may provide the greatestpublic health impact.
Keywords: Oral cancerKnowledgeGender