Knowledge of common cancers among new-entry health science students in Japan and Vietnam

BMC Medical Education

Research

Dat Minh Lu¹  Linh Le Tran¹  Tam Thao Tuyet Tran¹  Mai Ngoc Luu²  Duc Trong Quach²  Nhu Thi Hanh Vu³  Yuri Okamoto⁴  Mahoko Yoshida⁴  Shunsuke Miyauchi⁴  Toru Hiyama⁴ 

[1] Department of Family Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam;Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam;Department of Internal Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam;Department of Endoscopy, Hiroshima University Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan;Health Service Center, Hiroshima University, 1-7-1 Kagamiyama, 739-8514, Higashihiroshima, Japan;

关键词: Health science students;    Knowledge;    Common cancer;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12909-023-04674-7

 received in 2023-06-08, accepted in 2023-09-12,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe incidence and mortality rates of cancer are rapidly increasing worldwide. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of common cancers among new-entry health science students in Japan and Vietnam, thereby providing insights for implementing appropriate medical educational interventions.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted among new-entry health science students at Hiroshima University, Japan, and the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A printed predesigned questionnaire consisting of eleven questions was distributed to the participants during the freshmen health screening at the beginning of the academic year to assess their knowledge of cancer.ResultsA total of 2,748 new-entry health science students participated in the study, including 394 (14.3%) Japanese students and 2,354 (85.7%) Vietnamese students. Most cancer knowledge levels in Japanese students were significantly higher than those in Vietnamese students (p < 0.001), except for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection awareness. For this understanding, only 14.8% of Japanese students selected the correct answer, which was significantly lower than the 22.4% of Vietnamese students (p = 0.001). Both the Japanese and Vietnamese students had limited knowledge regarding the connection between HPV infection and cancer and the link between estrogen–progestogen menopausal therapy and breast cancer. Additionally, female students had better knowledge about breast, skin, and endometrial cancers than male students.ConclusionsJapanese students generally exhibited higher levels of cancer knowledge than Vietnamese students, except for HPV infection recognition. Both groups had limited knowledge regarding the connection between HPV infection and cancer and the relationship between estrogen–progestogen menopausal therapy and breast cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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