AWARENESS OF CANCER RISK FACTORS, EARLY WARNING SIGNS AND ATTITUDE TOWARDS PERVENTIVE HEALTH BEHAVIORS TOWARDS CANCER AMONG UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS

Abstract

Cancer is one of the major killers globally especially in the low- and medium-income nations where the disease is mostly diagnosed at its advanced stages. The research evaluated knowledge of nursing undergraduate students about cancer risk factors, the ability to identify early warning signs, and their attitudes toward cancer preventive health behaviours at the University of Lahore. The study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional design between March and June of the year 2025 with a validated 30-item Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) questionnaire. The participation was by 178 students who were sampled using purposive sampling. The results showed that although 45 percent of the people interviewed displayed a good knowledge of cancer risk factors, knowledge of some lifestyle-related risks, including daily intake of red or processed meat and low consumption of fruits and vegetables, were not well known. Knowledge of early warning signs was also moderate with only one-third indicating good awareness. The more obvious symptoms like unexplained lumps were more well known whereas the less obvious symptoms such as changes in bowel habits and difficulty in swallowing were less known. The preventive behaviours also received positive attitudes with a high rate of adherence to avoidance of smoking, eating well, and having a balanced diet. Nevertheless, the contact with media-related cancer and alcohol moderation was minor. These findings highlight the importance of better educational approaches in nursing programs to increase the knowledge of less recognized symptoms and lifestyle risk factors of cancer among the students. Among the nursing students, it is important to reinforce such knowledge as they are usually at the frontline of providing care to patients; they are also important in terms of early detection and promotion of health amongst the members of their communities.