{"title":"Health Seeking Behaviour among Cancer Patients with the aid of Geographic Information System: A Mixed-Methods Study from Western India.","authors":"Garima Singh, Pankaja Raghav, Neeti Rustagi","doi":"10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.6.2205","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objective: </strong>Cancer prognosis depends on early diagnosis and treatment and awareness, beliefs, accessibility, and affordability of health services. Delays in patients seeking health care increase mortality risk. This study has been undertaken in rural Jodhpur (Rajasthan, Western India) to determine the health-seeking behaviour related to common cancers and the factors affecting them.</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>A community-based mixed-methods study was conducted in randomly chosen one-third of the Mandore block of Jodhpur villages. Data was collected from individuals diagnosed with cancer/their relatives. In-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with the frontline workers, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. A geographic information system (GIS) was also used to depict healthcare facilities accessed by cancer patients.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 146 participants (diagnosed with cancer) were included in the study. About one-third (34.2%) preferred alternative medicine along with allopathic medicine. The behaviour of changing hospitals frequently was depicted mostly by patients suffering from primary brain tumours (62.5%). Forty-five (31%) participants did not continue their treatment after initiation. From the content analysis of IDI, major factors for delays in health-seeking were misconceptions, superstitions, stigmatisation, financial burden, miscommunication from doctors, no proper referral mechanism, and unfelt need to visit healthcare. None of the participants were aware of the screening services provided and the benefits of screening services. Availability of initial treatment at peripheral centres and training activities for frontline workers and teachers were the major recommendations to improve cancer prevention and control. Conclusions: Alternative medicine usage was common among cancer patients. Leaving treatment in between was also observed among one-third of the participants. Misconceptions, superstitions, stigmatisation, and financial burden were major factors enlisted for health-seeking delays.</p>","PeriodicalId":55451,"journal":{"name":"Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention","volume":"26 6","pages":"2205-2213"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.31557/APJCP.2025.26.6.2205","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background and objective: Cancer prognosis depends on early diagnosis and treatment and awareness, beliefs, accessibility, and affordability of health services. Delays in patients seeking health care increase mortality risk. This study has been undertaken in rural Jodhpur (Rajasthan, Western India) to determine the health-seeking behaviour related to common cancers and the factors affecting them.
Methodology: A community-based mixed-methods study was conducted in randomly chosen one-third of the Mandore block of Jodhpur villages. Data was collected from individuals diagnosed with cancer/their relatives. In-depth interviews (IDI) were conducted with the frontline workers, cancer survivors, and their caregivers. A geographic information system (GIS) was also used to depict healthcare facilities accessed by cancer patients.
Results: A total of 146 participants (diagnosed with cancer) were included in the study. About one-third (34.2%) preferred alternative medicine along with allopathic medicine. The behaviour of changing hospitals frequently was depicted mostly by patients suffering from primary brain tumours (62.5%). Forty-five (31%) participants did not continue their treatment after initiation. From the content analysis of IDI, major factors for delays in health-seeking were misconceptions, superstitions, stigmatisation, financial burden, miscommunication from doctors, no proper referral mechanism, and unfelt need to visit healthcare. None of the participants were aware of the screening services provided and the benefits of screening services. Availability of initial treatment at peripheral centres and training activities for frontline workers and teachers were the major recommendations to improve cancer prevention and control. Conclusions: Alternative medicine usage was common among cancer patients. Leaving treatment in between was also observed among one-third of the participants. Misconceptions, superstitions, stigmatisation, and financial burden were major factors enlisted for health-seeking delays.
期刊介绍：
Cancer is a very complex disease. While many aspects of carcinoge-nesis and oncogenesis are known, cancer control and prevention at the community level is however still in its infancy. Much more work needs to be done and many more steps need to be taken before effective strategies are developed. The multidisciplinary approaches and efforts to understand and control cancer in an effective and efficient manner, require highly trained scientists in all branches of the cancer sciences, from cellular and molecular aspects to patient care and palliation.
The Asia Pacific Organization for Cancer Prevention (APOCP) and its official publication, the Asia Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention (APJCP), have served the community of cancer scientists very well and intends to continue to serve in this capacity to the best of its abilities. One of the objectives of the APOCP is to provide all relevant and current scientific information on the whole spectrum of cancer sciences. They aim to do this by providing a forum for communication and propagation of original and innovative research findings that have relevance to understanding the etiology, progression, treatment, and survival of patients, through their journal. The APJCP with its distinguished, diverse, and Asia-wide team of editors, reviewers, and readers, ensure the highest standards of research communication within the cancer sciences community across Asia as well as globally.
The APJCP publishes original research results under the following categories:
-Epidemiology, detection and screening.
-Cellular research and bio-markers.
-Identification of bio-targets and agents with novel mechanisms of action.
-Optimal clinical use of existing anti-cancer agents, including combination therapies.
-Radiation and surgery.
-Palliative care.
-Patient adherence, quality of life, satisfaction.
-Health economic evaluations.
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