77% of Nigerians say Cancer is prevalent in the country even as 6 out of 10 citizens do not what causes cancer
NOIPolls performed a new public opinion survey, which found that 62% of adult Nigerians countrywide said they were unaware of the causes of cancer.
Among the other explanations listed, poor cleanliness was cited as the cause by 7% of respondents, while 14% of respondents said consuming canned food was the culprit.
According to another research, the majority of adult Nigerians (77 percent) believe that cancer is common in the nation, and 28% said that they or a family member have experienced the disease.
For instance, the famed Nigerian rapper and composer Sound Sultan lost his lengthy fight with throat cancer on July 11, 2021, at the age of 44[1]. According to the National Cancer Control Plan (2018-2022), there are an estimated 102,000 new instances of cancer each year in Nigeria, which causes 72,000 annual deaths from the disease[2].
47 percent of respondents suggested that the federal government provide free cancer screening facilities as a way to help those who are afflicted with the disease.
Other ideas include lowering the cost of cancer medications for patients (27%), raising awareness of the condition (17%), making equipment for cancer treatment easily accessible (16%), and subsidizing cancer therapy (12%). These are the main conclusions from the Cancer Poll, which was performed the week beginning May 8th.
Background
A wide range of illnesses that can affect any region of the human body collectively go by the word “cancer.” Malignant tumors and neoplasms are other names that are used to describe the same thing. One of the main characteristics of cancer is the quick development of aberrant cells that rapidly infect surrounding areas of the body and spread to other organs. This process is known as metastasis. The main reason for dying from cancer is widespread metastasis[4].
Cancer is a multi-stage disease that often develops from a pre-cancerous lesion to a malignant tumor. Cancer is caused by the transformation of normal cells into tumor cells. Three sorts of outside agents, including physical, chemical, and biological carcinogens, interact with a person’s genetic makeup to produce these changes[6]. Furthermore, certain cancers are brought on by infections like hepatitis and the human papillomavirus (HPV), which account for about 30% of cancer incidence in low- and middle-income nations[7].
According to WHO data, cancer will be the top cause of death worldwide in 2020, accounting for around 10 million deaths, or one in every six[8]. The most prevalent malignancies in people are those of the breast, lungs, colon, rectum, and prostate. In addition, one-third of cancer-related deaths are linked to tobacco use, a high body mass index, alcohol usage, a poor diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and a lack of physical activity[9]. In Nigeria, which has a population of 200 million, there are reportedly 72,000 cancer deaths each year and 102,000 new cases are diagnosed[10]. In light of this, NOIPolls conducted a study to determine how Nigerians saw cancer disease, and the results are presented here.
Survey Results
The purpose of the first question was to determine how many people believed that cancer was a common disease in the nation. According to 77% of the respondents to the survey, the majority of adult Nigerians nationally feel that cancer is common in the nation. 18% of respondents, on the other side, disagreed.
Additionally, when asked whether they or any family members had experienced cancer-related illness, the results revealed that 28% of respondents said they or a family member had. The biggest percentage of respondents who said this came from the South-East zone (40%) of the country. On the other hand, 72% of respondents stated that neither they nor any members of their family have ever had cancer.
Interestingly, the survey found that, according to 62 percent of those surveyed, the majority of adult Nigerians nationally are unaware of the causes of cancer. Similarly, 7 percent of respondents claimed inadequate cleanliness and 14% pointed to eating canned food as the cause of cancer. Other factors cited include eating poorly (6%) and keeping money in the brassiere (1%) as well as hereditary (6%), smoking (3%), and applying bleaching cream.
When asked about the signs and symptoms of a cancer illness, lump growths were noted by 27 percent of respondents, while back/tommy pain and unexplained weight loss were mentioned by 8 percent of respondents, respectively. Other symptoms reported include, among others, swelling of the affected area, fatigue, and feeling poorly (7 percent each), itchy, yellow skin, and nose bleeding.
The survey also showed that a higher percentage of adult Nigerians (61 percent) think cancer is treatable. According to analysis of responses by gender, more men (66%) than women (57%) think that cancer can be treated. When answers are broken down by age group, it becomes clear that individuals between the ages of 36 and 60 make up the majority of those who believe cancer may be cured.
On the other hand, while 24% of respondents stated that cancer cannot be treated, 15% of respondents did not know if the illness is curable or not.
Findings on suggestions for how the federal government can help those with cancer revealed that 47 percent advocated for free cancer screening centers, 27 percent suggested making medications more affordable for patients, and 17 percent suggested raising awareness of the disease. Furthermore, 16 percent want the government to make cancer treatment equipment easily accessible, and 12 percent think cancer treatment should be financially supported.
Conclusion
According to research, 77 percent of Nigerians believe that cancer is common in the nation, and 28 percent say that they or a family member have had the disease. It is also noteworthy that 62 percent of Nigerians said they were unaware of the causes of cancer. Although 7 percent blamed inadequate cleanliness, 14 percent said consuming canned food was the culprit.
Despite the fact that 61 percent of Nigerians think cancer can be treated, 47 percent advocated for the federal government to establish free cancer screening facilities and lower the cost of cancer medications for patients, as suggested by 27 percent of those surveyed. Finally, the Ministry of Health should work with other stakeholders in the health industry to create a nationwide cancer screening program that can require the general people to get screened for cancer whenever they visit a public health facility.
Survey Techniques
The survey was performed during the week of May 8, 2023. It featured telephone interviews with 1,000 randomly chosen Nigerians, 18 years of age and older, who owned phones and represented all 36 states, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and six geopolitical zones of the nation. Five languages—Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Pidgin English, and English—were used for the interviews. Although the results were statistically accurate, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.65%, we acknowledge that the use of telephone polling alone has the drawback of excluding Nigerians who do not own phones. However, we believe our telephone polling strategy is reasonable given that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has estimated the country’s teledensity to be over 100%.
We can safely support the validity of our methodology and approach given the meticulous scientific procedure of randomization and stratification used. The best company in West Africa for nation-specific polling services is NOIPolls Limited. On numerous socioeconomic and political concerns in Nigeria, we periodically undertake opinion surveys and studies. You may get more details at www.noi-polls.com. Source: NOIPolls.
