頭頸部癌症從1982年起就一直名列國人十大癌症死亡原因,尤其是口腔癌,近年來為國人男性罹患的癌症中發生率和死亡率增加最快者之一,也是青壯年男性最易發生的癌症。頭頸部一旦發生癌症,不但會影響人體的生理功能也會造成心理及社會功能的負面影響。本研究之目的為了解病患對於頭頸部癌症知能的程度,人口學上的哪些因素會有影響,及探討病患的頭頸部癌症知能和其健康行為及參與癌症篩檢之關係。本研究以橫斷性調查研究法,立意取樣的方式選取在中部某醫學中心就醫的耳鼻喉部門診病患共300位,以問卷為研究工具。本研究之結果顯示問卷內容有良好的信度與效度(KR-20=0.829, CVI=0.90),病患的頭頸部癌症認知程度平均為12.82 + 3.58分,年齡及教育程度等人口學變項具有影響性,與健康行為的表現並無相關,和參與癌症篩選的意願有正向相關性。本研究之結論為國人的頭頸部癌症知識和參與癌症篩選的意願有正向相關性,但與健康行為並無相關,值得衛生主管機關注意,並加強宣導癌症防治的宣導,以期降低國人罹患癌症的機會。
Head and neck cancer has been one of the ten leading causes of cancer death in Taiwan since 1982. Oral cavity cancer, particularly, was the cancer with the most prominent incidence and mortality in men that got cancer during the last decade. Oral cavity cancer was also the cancer most vulnerable to the young- and middle-aged male. Once cancer developed in the head and neck area, it would affect the physiological functions of body and had negative impact psychologically. The objectives of this study were to understand the level of patients’ literacy about head and neck cancer, and further to explore the relationship between the cancer literacy and the cancer-related behavior, and the willing of participating cancer screening. The planned methods of this study were cross-sectional survey by means of questionnaires and purposive sampling from the outpatients (N = 300) of Department of Otorhinolaryngology in a medical center of mid-Taiwan. The results of this study showed that there were good reliability and validity (KR-20, 0.829; CVI, 0.90). The mean knowledge score about head and neck cancer was 12.82 + 3.58, which was influenced by the sociodemographic characteristics, such as age and education (P < 0.05). The knowledge score was not related to the cancer-related behavior, but on the contrary to the willing of participating cancer screening. The conclusion of this study was that whether this knowledge of head and neck cancer translated into behavior change still to be determined, which needed the Department of health to develop cancer prevention and treatment in the future.