OBJECTIVES: The main aims of the study were to identify barriers to seeking help for cancer, appraise demographic and socio-economic differences in relation to barriers and evaluate the association between barriers and cancer symptoms awareness and delayed help-seeking.
METHODS: A total of 2,360 adults (18 years and above) from randomly selected households in metropolitan Kuala Lumpur completed face-to-face interviews with trained research assistants that incorporated the validated Malay version of the Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM). Logistic regression was the main statistical technique that was used to investigate the study objectives and relationships (noted above).
RESULTS: The most commonly reported barriers to help-seeking were emotional barriers. The probability of delaying seeking help was 49% higher in participants who reported emotional barriers (OR = 1.49; CI: 1.32-1.68; p
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.