Public awareness of cancer screening is essential for the success of screening programs and for reducing the mortality rate, according to a descriptive cross-sectional study in Yemen published in BMC medical journal.
The study was carried out by a group of Yemeni specialists last year targeting the general population in Yemen using a convenience sampling approach.
A total of 996 eligible individuals with varied demographic and health-related characteristics successfully completed the survey. Most participants were young adults aged 18–29 years (69.1%), followed by 17.7% aged 30–39. The gender distribution was almost equal, with 50.8% male and 49.2% female participants.
While over half of the participants (52.1%) reported awareness of cancer screening, substantial gaps in understanding were evident, with only 21.4% rated their knowledge as good.
Breast cancer screening emerged as the most recognized, while awareness of screenings for lung, colorectal, cervical, and prostate cancers remained minimal.
The study reveals a clear gap between awareness and participation in cancer screening, influenced by socio-demographic disparities. Targeted awareness efforts and improved access to screening are urgently needed to address cultural, financial, and systemic barriers.
The study also found that 42.9% of participants acknowledged the key benefits of cancer screening, yet fewer than one-third recognized all major cancer prevention strategies.
Cancer screening participation was alarmingly low, with 8.5% of participants undergoing any form of screening.
The study also found that key barriers of Cancer screening included financial constraints, lack of awareness, and perceptions of unnecessary screening.
The study questionnaire was developed based on a previous study that evaluated the knowledge and perception of the community regarding cancer screening in Saudi Arabia].