Jones O, Young H, Clarke H, Crosbie EJ, Sivalingam VN. The Womb Cancer Awareness Measure (WCAM): development of an instrument to assess public awareness of endometrial cancer.
Int J Gynecol Cancer 2023;
34:ijgc-2023-004796. [PMID:
38088173 PMCID:
PMC10850626 DOI:
10.1136/ijgc-2023-004796]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To develop and test a novel instrument to assess public awareness of endometrial cancer symptoms and risk factors in a UK population.
METHODS
A 36-item questionnaire was developed through literature review and extraction from cancer awareness materials. The Womb Cancer Awareness Measure (WCAM) was tested for content validity in 65 self-identified female research participants and 10 endometrial cancer experts prior to UK-wide field testing using social media. Test-retest reliability was assessed over 2 weeks, construct validity was assessed by comparing womb cancer experts and non-medical academics, and sensitivity to change was assessed by comparing scores of participants who read an endometrial cancer leaflet with those given a control leaflet.
RESULTS
Fifty-two percent of the items in the test-retest reliability showed >80% agreement. Construct validity was demonstrated; endometrial cancer experts achieved higher scores (median 79 (IQR 18)) than non-medical academics (median 50 (IQR 18)) (p<0.001). The WCAM was sensitive to change; volunteers who read an endometrial cancer leaflet showed greater awareness (median 73 (IQR 9)) than those who read the control leaflet (median 59 (IQR 9)) (p<0.001). Knowledge of endometrial cancer red flag symptoms and risk factors was poor in the 847 UK-based participants.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support the validity and reliability of the Womb Cancer Awareness Measure in assessing public awareness of endometrial cancer. In a UK population sample, knowledge of warning symptoms and risk factors was low, highlighting the need for public awareness campaigns.
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