Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates.
<h4>Objective</h4>To assess knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers to skin cancer screening among the general population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).<h4>Methods</h4>In this cross-sectional study, an online-based questionnaire was distributed via online social media...
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| Format: | Article |
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Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316613 |
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| author | Anan S Jarab Walid Al-Qerem Karem H Alzoubi Mariam Al Mohammad Shrouq R Abu Heshmeh Yazid N Al Hamarneh Tareq Mukattash Maher Khdour |
| author_facet | Anan S Jarab Walid Al-Qerem Karem H Alzoubi Mariam Al Mohammad Shrouq R Abu Heshmeh Yazid N Al Hamarneh Tareq Mukattash Maher Khdour |
| author_sort | Anan S Jarab |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <h4>Objective</h4>To assess knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers to skin cancer screening among the general population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).<h4>Methods</h4>In this cross-sectional study, an online-based questionnaire was distributed via online social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and others to the residents of the UAE. The questionnaire evaluated socio-demographics, knowledge (8 items), attitudes (10 items), practices (14 items), and barriers (9 items) in the context of skin cancer screening. A binary logistic regression was conducted to assess variables associated with practice levels.<h4>Results</h4>The study included 924 participants (51.9% females), with a median (IQR) age of 32 (22-44) years. Results showed a window for knowledge improvement [median = 4 (3-6) out of a maximum potential score of 8], unfavourable attitudes [median = 37 (33-39) out of a maximum potential score of 50], inadequate practices [median = 41 (31-45) out of a maximum possible score of 70]. The most common barriers to skin cancer screening were lack of knowledge about skin cancer (74.1%), lack of awareness of the need for skin cancer screening (72.2%), and absence of symptoms (54.1%). Older age (OR = 0.985, 95%CI: 0.971-0.998) and lack of health insurance (OR = 0.478, 95%CI: 0.301-0.758) were associated with lower screening practices. Female gender (OR = 1.833, 95%CI: 1.361-2.469), being married (OR = 1.415, 95%CI: 1.006-1.992), being a non-smoker (OR = 1.568, 95%CI: 1.045-2.352) or a former smoker (OR = 2.555, 95% CI: 1.082-6.034), and more favourable attitudes (OR = 1.071, 95%CI: 1.044-1.096) were associated with higher screening practices.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The UAE population exhibited moderate knowledge, unfavourable attitudes, and inadequate practices regarding skin cancer screening, with several barriers identified. Targeted online and in-person awareness campaigns are crucial for improving public understanding and attitudes, thereby enhancing screening practices, especially among older adults, males, smokers, and those without health insurance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-973937a40c524b4eb54376a56e576b30 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
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| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj-art-973937a40c524b4eb54376a56e576b302025-02-07T05:30:40ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01201e031661310.1371/journal.pone.0316613Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates.Anan S JarabWalid Al-QeremKarem H AlzoubiMariam Al MohammadShrouq R Abu HeshmehYazid N Al HamarnehTareq MukattashMaher Khdour<h4>Objective</h4>To assess knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers to skin cancer screening among the general population of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).<h4>Methods</h4>In this cross-sectional study, an online-based questionnaire was distributed via online social media sites such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and others to the residents of the UAE. The questionnaire evaluated socio-demographics, knowledge (8 items), attitudes (10 items), practices (14 items), and barriers (9 items) in the context of skin cancer screening. A binary logistic regression was conducted to assess variables associated with practice levels.<h4>Results</h4>The study included 924 participants (51.9% females), with a median (IQR) age of 32 (22-44) years. Results showed a window for knowledge improvement [median = 4 (3-6) out of a maximum potential score of 8], unfavourable attitudes [median = 37 (33-39) out of a maximum potential score of 50], inadequate practices [median = 41 (31-45) out of a maximum possible score of 70]. The most common barriers to skin cancer screening were lack of knowledge about skin cancer (74.1%), lack of awareness of the need for skin cancer screening (72.2%), and absence of symptoms (54.1%). Older age (OR = 0.985, 95%CI: 0.971-0.998) and lack of health insurance (OR = 0.478, 95%CI: 0.301-0.758) were associated with lower screening practices. Female gender (OR = 1.833, 95%CI: 1.361-2.469), being married (OR = 1.415, 95%CI: 1.006-1.992), being a non-smoker (OR = 1.568, 95%CI: 1.045-2.352) or a former smoker (OR = 2.555, 95% CI: 1.082-6.034), and more favourable attitudes (OR = 1.071, 95%CI: 1.044-1.096) were associated with higher screening practices.<h4>Conclusion</h4>The UAE population exhibited moderate knowledge, unfavourable attitudes, and inadequate practices regarding skin cancer screening, with several barriers identified. Targeted online and in-person awareness campaigns are crucial for improving public understanding and attitudes, thereby enhancing screening practices, especially among older adults, males, smokers, and those without health insurance.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316613 |
| spellingShingle | Anan S Jarab Walid Al-Qerem Karem H Alzoubi Mariam Al Mohammad Shrouq R Abu Heshmeh Yazid N Al Hamarneh Tareq Mukattash Maher Khdour Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates. PLoS ONE |
| title | Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates. |
| title_full | Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates. |
| title_fullStr | Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates. |
| title_short | Public knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers to skin cancer screening in the United Arab Emirates. |
| title_sort | public knowledge attitudes practices and barriers to skin cancer screening in the united arab emirates |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0316613 |
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