Cancer awareness and screening practices of Ghanaian adults: a cross-
sectional survey
Abstract
Introduction: Cancer screening has been identified as an important
contributor to cancer prevention and the control of both morbidity and
mortality from cancer. Despite its importance, screening rates have
remained low in Ghana. This study investigated some key predictors of
screening habits and the rates of awareness for selected cancers that
are amenable to screening and early detection. The health belief model
provided theoretical support for the investigation. Methods: Data was
collected from 503 adults in an online survey with a questionnaire,
between June and August 2021. Univariate statistical analysis was used
to determine the frequencies and percentages of variables. The
multivariate analysis used a correlation and a logistic regression to
measure association and test a model. Results: Participants were aged
between 18 and 74 with a mean age of 32.74. Females made up 61.4% of
the sample while males accounted for 38.6%. Only 37.6% of participants
had previously screened for cancer while 62.4% had never screened. The
study hypothesized that age, gender, and cancer Screening Awareness
predict the Cancer Screening habits of respondents. The logistic
regression showed that, Age (B = .10, SE = .01, p= .00) and Gender (B =
-.2.71, SE = .30, p = .00) predicted cancer screening habit. Conclusion:
Age and gender can predict screening habits. Awareness did not predict
screening in this study. The reason and meaning of the findings are
discussed and suggestions for improvement of screening uptake and for
future research are provided.