Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40652567›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health (Oxford, England)2025

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and 'Find Cancer Early' campaign on cancer symptom knowledge in regional Western Australia.

Ying Ru Feng, Derrick Lopez, Sarah V Ward, Cassandra Clayforth, Clover Maitland, Hussam Al-Hakimi, Melissa Ledger, Elizabeth Sorial, David B Preen

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Ying Ru FengSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2689-5597
Derrick LopezSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Sarah V WardSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Cassandra ClayforthCancer Council Western Australia, Bagot Road, Subiaco, WA 6008, Australia.
Clover MaitlandCentre for Behavioural Research in Cancer, Cancer Council Victoria, Victoria Pde, East Melbourne, VIC 3002, Australia.
Hussam Al-HakimiCancer Council Western Australia, Bagot Road, Subiaco, WA 6008, Australia.
Melissa LedgerCancer Council Western Australia, Bagot Road, Subiaco, WA 6008, Australia.
Elizabeth SorialSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
David B PreenSchool of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Stirling Hwy, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.

Funding

Cancer Network WANorth Metropolitan Heath Service
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAwareness of cancer and its symptoms may have declined in 2020 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and awareness of the 'Find Cancer Early' mass media campaign on the knowledge of common cancer symptoms in regional Western Australian (WA) residents aged 40 years and over.

methodsCampaign materials from 'Find Cancer Early' included the 'Rural Doctors' video advertisement and the 'Yellow Checklist'. Multivariable log-binomial regression analyses were undertaken using data from the annual post-campaign evaluations surveys between 2018 and 2020, which included information on campaign awareness, cancer symptom knowledge, and sociodemographic factors.

resultsThe number of cancer symptoms recalled (mean (M): 1.32 vs 1.72; P < .001) and the proportion of participants with better cancer symptom knowledge (16.9% vs 25.7%; P < .001) were lower in 2020 than the pre-pandemic time-period. Campaign awareness (prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.99; P < .001) and females (PR = 1.28; P = .002) were associated with better cancer symptom knowledge, while the pandemic time-period (PR = 0.59; P < .001), older age (PR = 0.57; P < .001), and a previous cancer diagnosis (PR = 0.76; P = .007) were associated with poorer knowledge.

conclusionsDespite the ongoing pandemic, campaign awareness was associated with better knowledge of common cancer symptoms in regional WA. Regional subpopulations, including males and older adults, should be targeted for future campaigns.

Indexed as

COVID-19Early Detection of CancerHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHealth PromotionNeoplasmsAdultAgedFemaleHumansMaleMass MediaMiddle AgedPandemicsSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesWestern Australiacancer awarenesscancer symptomsCOVID-19health campaignregional health

Identifiers

PMID40652567
PMCPMC12669984

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