Campaign awareness and oral cancer knowledge in UK resident adult Bangladeshi: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: This study reports awareness of the ‘Open up to Mouth Cancer’ campaign materials and oral cancer knowledge among two UK adult Bangladeshi communities, both at high risk for oral cancer. METHODS: Differences in the outcomes of campaign awareness and knowledge of oral cancer risk factors and early signs were compared between campaign and comparison areas. Home-based interviews were conducted with representative samples from both areas by bilingual interviewers. Data collected included a modified 36-item Humphris Oral Cancer Knowledge Scale and socio-demographic information. The data were collected 4 weeks after the campaign completion and analysed using χ(2)-tests and binary logistic regressions. RESULTS: The response rate was 77%. Both awareness of the campaign materials (29.99% (95% confidence interval (CI) 15.82, 46.99) vs 8.12% (95% CI 6.16, 10.62)) and the mean Humphris Oral Cancer Knowledge Scale scores (13.32 (95% CI 11.06, 15.57) vs 8.27 (95% CI 6.59, 9.94)) were higher in the campaign area. The campaign area sample was significantly more likely to be aware of the materials (odds ratio (OR)=6.03, 95% CI 3.00, 12.1). CONCLUSION: Superior awareness and oral cancer knowledge was identified in the community with access to the campaign materials. Further evaluation to identify long-term campaign impact is required.