Exposing the Gaps in Awareness and Knowledge of Symptoms, Signs and Risk Factors of Colorectal Cancer among Residents in Peri-urban Olowora Community, South – West Geopolitical Zone of Nigeria

Aim: This study is aimed at exposing the gaps in awareness and knowledge of symptoms, signs and risk factors of colorectal cancer (CRC) among residents in Olowora Community.

Methodology: Data from this cross sectional study were collected through self-administered questionnaire to consenting residents of Olowora community of Ikosi - Isheri Local Government Area of Lagos State, located in South Western region of Nigeria over a period of one (1) month in 2015.

Results: A total of 231 questionnaires were analyzed. Males were slightly over-represented with a male to female of 1.08:1 and a mean age of 30.4 years. The literacy rate was excellent with 79.2% of respondents having post-secondary qualification. Twenty-Eight percent (28.1%) of respondents were knowledgeable of the warning symptoms and signs of colorectal cancer with blood in the stool being the leading worrisome symptom of CRC acknowledged by the respondents (13.4%). Abdominal pain, altered bowel habit, anal itching and anal mass protrusion were other worrisome symptoms of CRC acknowledged by the respondents in 6.5%, 4.8%, 1.7% & 1.7% of cases respectively. Over forty – three percent of respondents were knowledgeable of the risk factors for colorectal cancer with majority of respondents correctly acknowledged diets rich in fats and poor in fibers as the main contributory factor (20.3%). Other risk factors acknowledged were family history of cancer, smoking, prolonged alcohol consumption and radiation in 14.3%, 4.8%, 3.0% and 0.9% respectively.

Conclusion: This study concluded that the knowledge of symptoms, signs and risk factors of CRC is still low.