The knowledge and awareness of obesity and its risk of cancer among IIUM undergraduate students

Wan Baharudin, Wan Khairulbariyyah and Abdul Ghani, Radiah (2023) The knowledge and awareness of obesity and its risk of cancer among IIUM undergraduate students. International Journal of Allied Health Sciences (IJAHS), 7 (1). pp. 2845-2852. E-ISSN 2600-8491

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Abstract

Introduction: Obesity, a condition of excessive adipose tissue accumulation, has been elucidated as a common risk factor in many types of cancer by previous studies. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate IIUM Kuantan undergraduates' knowledge and awareness of obesity and its risk of cancer. Methods: A cross-sectional study using convenience sampling was conducted using a validated, self-administered online questionnaire that comprised (1) sociodemographic characteristics and questions on (2) knowledge and (3) awareness of the topic. 133 respondents participated in the survey. Results: The data were analysed using SPSS IBM Statistics 26. The study revealed that most respondents have moderate knowledge (n=67, 50.4%) and awareness (n=79, 59.4%) regarding obesity and the risk of cancer. Significant differences in knowledge level were identified using the Kruskal-Wallis test between respondents’ gender (p=0.017) and Kulliyyah (p<0.001). A fair positive correlation between knowledge and awareness of obesity and its risk of cancer among respondents was found by the Spearman coefficient (r=0.463, p<0.001). This implied that moderate knowledge on the topic also contributes to a moderate level of awareness. Conclusion: Most respondents were moderately aware of and acknowledged the potential cancer risk in obesity. The respondent’s level of knowledge of the topic may have been influenced by their associated gender and kulliyyah. Nonetheless, more awareness needs to be spread among the students regarding the potential for cancer incidence in people with obesity and excessive adiposity.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Obesity, Risk of cancer, Knowledge, Awareness, Correlation
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences > Department of Biomedical Science (Effective:1st July 2011)
Depositing User:	Dr. Radiah Abdul Ghani
Date Deposited:	14 Feb 2023 09:03
Last Modified:	24 Nov 2023 17:54
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/103680

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