Assessing Hereditary Cancer Awareness among Medical Faculty Students: Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Hereditary Cancer Awareness Scale

Abstract

Purpose: Cancer is the first or second leading cause of death in Worldwide. About 5 percent to 10 percent of most all cancers are caused by inherited mutations. This rate is up to 50 per cent in some cancers. Medical faculty graduates are the first group in contact with patients compared to specialized physicians. The level of knowledge or awareness of this group about familial inherited cancers is important in terms of early detection of cancer in the community. The main purpose of the study was to develop a cancer awareness scale in medical students and to test its validity, reliability and item analysis Methods: This scale was developed by three methods. Firstly Exploratory Factor Analysis, secondly Confirmatory Factor Analysis and finally Reliability and Item Analysis. Results: The Hereditary Cancer Awareness Scale (HCAS) is a reliable and valid measurement tool to assess the awareness of Hereditary cancer among medical students. Conclusions: The use of this scale in medical education and in the design of cancer awareness programs is important in terms of increasing awareness of cancer and preventing familial hereditary cancer in the future