Colorectal Cancer Risk and Prevention Knowledge among Adults Attending Public Health Facilities in Obudu, Cross River State, Nigeria

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 5th most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths in Nigeria. As with other cancers, CRC risk is multifactorial, including issues such as poor diet, obesity, alcohol abuse, physical inactivity, age above 50 years, history of adenomatous polyps, inflammatory bowel disease, and family history of CRCs or polyps.

Aim: The study aimed to ascertain the level of knowledge of risk factors and preventive measures against CRC among adults attending health facilities in Obudu Local Government area Cross River State, Nigeria.

Study Design: A descriptive survey research design was used.

Place and Duration of Study: Urban health facilities in Obudu Local government area, Cross River state between 2017 and 2019.

Methodology: The sample of the study comprised 310 attendees of health facilities. A structured questionnaire was the main instrument used for data collection. Face validity was employed. The split-half method was used to establish the reliability of the instrument with thirty adults in a neighboring town.

Results: Findings showed that males had better knowledge of risk factors (75.3%) than females (45.8%); and males had better knowledge of prevention of CRC (82.1%) than females (57.2%), hence showing a significant association (P=.002, P=.003) between gender with knowledge of risk factors and prevention of CRC respectively. There were also significant associations between age (P=.007, .001) and educational level (P=.002, .006) with knowledge of risk factors and prevention of CRC respectively. This showed that younger ages and higher education were associated with better knowledge of CRC.

Conclusions: Less knowledgeable women and persons with low educational level should be targeted with messages on CRC. Health educators should intensify their health education campaign on the importance of screening as the major preventive measure against CRC at the household level. Government and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) should sponsor the provision of resources and screening facilities.