STUDIES ON PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT THE OCCUPATIONAL RISK ON CANCER

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• STUDIES ON PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT THE
  OCCUPATIONAL RISK ON CANCER
• Antonina Cebulska-Wasilewska 1,2
• 1Department of Radiation and Environmental
  Biology INP, Polish Academy of Science, ul
  Radzikowskiego 152, Kraków, Poland
• 2 Molecular Epidemiology Laboratory,
• Chair of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine
• Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University

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Introduction
Objectives of the Electronic Trans-European
Network (e-TEN) programs, conducted in European
Union aim to diminish differences in life
quality among participating countries.
Research conducted in Western Europe has
shown, that very often the general public is not
aware of all the risk she is expose to.
The improvement of life quality is expected via
implementation of some informational services
portals providing easy access to important
information.
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Aim of trial
The EuroWorkSafe is one of e-TEN projects
aiming to provide to the public the European
semantic portal on workplace safety and
occupational cancer risk prevention

• The EWS portal is containing carefully chosen and
  crucial for his topic
• complex information about cancer risk in
  working environment,
• procedures or regulations concerning health
  hazard,

• and, that should be helpful to those under the
  potential or increased risk of cancer.

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http/euroworksafe.org Is coordinated Gianni
Viano, Stefano Bianci, Daniela Vecchio In the
presented study participated also following
members of the EWS group from Poland

• Z.Drag , P.Karwacki, M.Klosok, M.Krzysiek,
  R.Majewska, S.Krasnowolski, J.Miszczyk,
  J.Stefaniak.

Participating institutions
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Aim of trial

• Our task, among others, and aim of this project
  was to estimate the concern of educated public in
  Poland, about its interests in occupational
  cancer risk and needs for accessibility to
  metabase.

Presented study shows preliminary analysis of the
survey results on cancer risk awareness,
performed in a very special group of academic
society students from nine universities in the
area of Central and Southern Poland.
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Characteristic of the group
Cancer risk awareness was investigated in a group
of 1077 students (720 females, 343 males, 14
missing).
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Methodology
Questionnaires were distributed to volunteers
under supervision of specialists in empiric
sociology

• and
• feedback was collected and coded into the SPSS
  data base by members of trial group instructed
  and equipped with brief user guide.

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Characteristic of the group
The questionnaires about the health and cancer
risk interest were directed to those young
people, who

• on one hand, those people, in a couple of years,
  should become persons responsible for health
  protection

• for themselves, or
• for other people in their work places.

• On the other hand

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Characteristic of the group
That group, in general, should be no limited in
the access to computer information sources.
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Results
Here is a percentage of responses to the
question
How do you rank the level of your knowledge about
the health risk associated with various harmful
agents present in your environment (biological,che
mical,physical)?
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Results
Female students were more than males interested
in the occupational cancer risk, nevertheless,
they self estimated their knowledge about that
issue similarly (rather poor).
Knowledge about carcinogenic agents
dif. answer
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Results
Almost 73 responded that they should know more
about hazardous agents in their environment
More than 80 of students were interested in
enlarging their knowledge in the field of
occupational cancer
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Results
For the question Do you know any portal with
information about the occupational cancer risk?
Response was
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Results
Very few students know any portal about the
occupational hazards !
Differences between types of universities in the
level of knowledge the portal on occupational
hazards (the best-medical, the
worst-universities)
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Results

More than fifty percents of responders would
accept an occupational risk in their work places.
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Results
Few more percentage would accept such a job under
conditions of getting more knowledge about
prevention.
and

• more than 91 of responders expressed the need
  for the access to the portal like

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. Response to the question Do you see necessity
of creation such a portal ? (i.e. EWS)
Question
Do you see necessity of creation such a portal
i.e. EWS ?
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Validation trial
Here are some results from the Euroworksafe
portal validation trial performed in a group of
academic staff in Poland
EuroWorksafe website is fast.
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Conclusions
Preliminary results show that there is a strong
need for

• higher level of education about the envirnmental
  and occupational cancer risk

• better education about the internet acces
  metabases on envirnmental and occupational cancer
  risk data

• portal like Euroworksafe

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Trials
Thank you for your attention