Table 3.
Respondent’s knowledge of risk factors and signs and symptoms of bowel cancer
| Knowledge Item (n) | % Yes or Agree^ |
|---|---|
|
Risk Factors | |
| Being overweight (91) |
82.4 |
| Both men and women are at risk of bowel cancer (93) |
80.6 |
| Smoking (91) |
80.2 |
| Having other types of bowel disease (92) |
77.2 |
| Diet can contribute to bowel cancer (93) |
76.3 |
| Low levels of physical activity (92) |
75.0 |
| History of polyps (93) |
74.2 |
| Risk increases with age (92) |
72.8 |
| Drinking too much alcohol (93) |
69.9 |
| Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people are at similar risk (93) |
69.0 |
| Risk increases if a close relative has bowel cancer (93) |
55.9 |
|
Signs and Symptoms | |
| Bleeding from the bowels (93) |
87.1 |
| Change in bowel habits such as diarrhoea/constipation (92) |
76.1 |
| Loss of weight for no reason (91) |
76.0 |
| Persistent abdominal pain/cramps (93) |
75.3 |
| Unexplained tiredness or weakness (91) |
71.4 |
| Loss of appetite (92) |
67.4 |
| Bowel cancer can be present without any symptoms (92) | 56.5 |
FOBT- faecal occult blood test.
^Percentage calculated from valid responses.