Table 3.
Awareness of oral cancer, knowledge of risk factors, and health beliefs stratified by sociodemographic characteristics for participants from the general public and nonmedical/nondental students only (n = 314).
| Awareness of types of cancers |
Risk factors* |
Health beliefs† | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | Oral cancer | Smoking | Alcohol use | Chewing betel quid | Viruses | Chance | ||||||
| % | P | % | P | % | P | % | P | % | P | % | P | |
| Total | 66% | - | 92% | - | 49% | - | 47% | - | 46% | - | - | |
| Sex | .18 | .02 | .05 | .65 | .18 | .36 | ||||||
| Male | 71% | 96% | 42% | 45% | 41% | 59% | ||||||
| Female | 63% | 89% | 53% | 48% | 49% | 64% | ||||||
| Ethnicity | .39 | .25 | .21 | .05 | .01 | .03 | ||||||
| Chinese | 66% | 92% | 50% | 47% | 49% | 65% | ||||||
| Malay | 58% | 96% | 58% | 25% | 54% | 46% | ||||||
| Indian | 77% | 93% | 37% | 63% | 17% | 60% | ||||||
| Other† | 54% | 77% | 31% | 46% | 46% | 31% | ||||||
| Age, y | .83 | .77 | .01 | .04 | .53 | .07 | ||||||
| 18–34 | 66% | 92% | 54% | 42% | 48% | 66% | ||||||
| 35–54 | 69% | 91% | 43% | 59% | 41% | 51% | ||||||
| ≥55 | 64% | 89% | 28% | 53% | 42% | 56% | ||||||
| Citizenship | .34 | .07 | .11 | .98 | .39 | .95 | ||||||
| Singapore citizen | 67% | 93% | 51% | 47% | 47% | 62% | ||||||
| Not a Singapore citizen | 60% | 84% | 38% | 47% | 40% | 62% | ||||||
| Housing type‡ | .01 | .49 | .71 | .44 | .02 | .29 | ||||||
| 1–3 room HDB flat | 72% | 90% | 46% | 36% | 36% | 49% | ||||||
| 4–5 room HDB flat/executive flat and condo§ | 66% | 93% | 52% | 49% | 53% | 61% | ||||||
| Private housing (condominiums/landed) | 72% | 91% | 45% | 50% | 34% | 67% | ||||||
| Prefer not to say | 32% | 84% | 42% | 42% | 47% | 63% | ||||||
| Smoking status | .19 | .32 | .43 | .002 | .69 | .0003 | ||||||
| Current smoker | 64% | 100% | 64% | 0% | 43% | 14% | ||||||
| Former smoker | 47% | 100% | 42% | 47% | 37% | 47% | ||||||
| Never smoker | 68% | 91% | 48% | 49% | 47% | 65% | ||||||
| Frequency of alcohol use | .87 | .78 | .16 | .72 | .76 | .10 | ||||||
| Several times a week or more | 63% | 88% | 38% | 63% | 50% | 38% | ||||||
| Once a week or less | 67% | 93% | 45% | 46% | 44% | 66% | ||||||
| Nondrinkers | 65% | 91% | 55% | 47% | 48% | 57% | ||||||
P values from Pearson chi-square test or Fisher Exact Test; bold text indicates <.05.
HDB, housing development board.
Response to the question, “Thinking now just about oral cancer, here is a list of things which may or may not be linked with oral cancer. Select any of these which you think may be linked to oral cancer.” Options given are smoking; car exhaust fumes; viruses; chewing betel quid (pan/paan); dental fillings; and alcohol..
100% and 99%, respectively, of participants responded strongly agree or agree to the statement, “Early detection of some cancers can improve the chances of successfully treating them” and “Some people can make changes in the way they live to reduce their risk of developing cancer” and are thus not shown. The percentages shown for those who responded strongly disagree or disagree to the statement, “Who develops cancer and who doesn't is a matter of chance, so there's nothing anybody can do to avoid it,” with a higher percentage reflecting positive health beliefs.
†Includes Indonesian (eg, Batak), Burmese, Filipino, Japanese, Arab, Nepalese, Caucasian, and “prefer not to say.”
n = 8 participants coded missing as responses including school dormitory, hostel, and rentals.
Includes 4–5 room Housing Development Board flat/Housing and Urban Development Corporation/executive flat (including mansionette)/executive condo/government landed.