Awareness of the Impacts of Chemotherapy Induced Alopecia among Individuals with Cancer at the Tertiary Hospitals of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

Abstract

Hair is an important aspect of human identity. Chemotherapy induced alopecia (CIA) is a common side effect of the chemotherapy treatment given to cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness of the impacts of chemotherapy induced alopecia among patients with cancer in the tertiary hospitals of the Federal Capital Territory. A cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. A total of 394 cancer patients with chemotherapy induced alopecia were interviewed for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a researcher developed questionnaire. Data collected were summarized using frequencies, percentages, bar and pie charts. Results showed that 109 of the respondents were males (27.7%) while 285 (72.3%) were females, 215 (54.6%) were Christians, 139 (35.3%) were Muslims, and 26 (6.6%) and 14 (3.9%) were traditionalists and atheists respectively. Over 75% of the respondents reported that they were aware of the various side effects of chemotherapy including alopecia, and about 43% reported chemotherapy induced alopecia as their most devastating side effect of chemotherapy. The results on the impact of CIA also revealed that CIA affected the accomplishment of daily tasks in about 62.4% of the respondents; it also limited about 62.9% of the respondents from going out because of shame. It made about 82% of the respondents appear ugly, and made about 56.6% of the patients always ashamed of themselves. It made about 79.7% of the respondents unable to go out without covering their hair, and about 59.6% of the respondents had difficulty getting enough wigs that fit. The researchers concluded that a greater percentage of the respondents are aware of CIA and that CIA had a great impact on the participants. The researchers therefore recommend that more time should be devoted to creating awareness on the impacts of CIA during clinics.