Short Term Outcomes of Cancer Health Education in Clinical Practice at Ocean Road Cancer Institute, Tanzania

Abstract

Background: The global cancer burden is estimated to have risen to 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths in 2018. More than two thirds of these deaths occurred in low- and middle- income countries (LMIC). In LMIC countries like Tanzania cancer management faces many challenges including poor cancer community awareness resulting into inadequate care and poor survival. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate short term outcomes of clinical health education interventions in improving knowledge, attitude, and perception of cancer patient healthy relatives towards cancer and its management. Materials and Methods: This was cross-sectional study design. Participants were relatives of cancer patients enrolled into the study when escorting their patients visiting Ocean Road Cancer Institute for cancer management. They were recruited using systematic sampling procedure, and face to face interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive data analysis performed using SPSS software version 22 and level of significance tested by t-test statistical procedure. Results: Study participants 60.5% were females, 53.3% aged between 24 to 44 years old, only 12 % attained university level education, 64.5% were married and 53.5% were from coast region. Health education significantly improved mean average score of cancer knowledge from 8.4 ± 2.068 to 11.67 ± 1.92, (p<0.0005). Pre and post health education perception score were 4.62 ± 0.913 and 5.05 ± 0.807 respectively (p < 0.0005). Cancer patient relatives had generally positive baseline attitude which minimally improved after health education with pre and post health education mean of 2.88 ± 0.942 and 3.2 ± 0.928 (p<0.0005) respectively. Those attained university educations had higher (44.9%) baseline adequate knowledge of cancer which increased to 77.6% after health education compared those with primary level (11.7%), which also increased to 75.1% after health education. Conclusion: Health education in clinical settings significantly improves cancer knowledge, perception and attitude of its participants. Age and sex of cancer patient relatives was neither affects the baseline knowledge, attitude and perception of cancer nor affects uptake of health education. Education level of participants was found to significantly affect both cancer baseline knowledge and their uptakes of health education