Community perceptions of bowel cancer: A survey of Queenslanders

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Australia. The Australian Cancer Society has set a national goal 'to exploit prevention opportunities and to increase early detection'. To address this goal, information about community perceptions is required. Through the use of a Delphi process, a questionnaire was developed to investigate community knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding primary prevention and early detection activities. This paper describes the results of a postal survey of a random sample of 855 Queensland adults selected from electoral rolls. Results indicate that there is a high level of uncertainty about bowel cancer and a belief that many behaviours are related to bowel cancer. While 74 per cent believed that tests could detect bowel cancer, only 52 per cent were confident that a doctor could accurately diagnose it. Only 35 per cent agreed that the public should be screened for bowel cancer and only 10 per cent would get a check-up. Perhaps reflecting the degree of uncertainty among health professionals about bowel cancer, there appears to be a high level of misinformation and confusion in the community. The need for an educational programme to address these issues is discussed. Article in Health Education Journal 54(3):331-339 September 1995

Parental alcohol use and resilience in young people: A study of family, peer and school processes

Funded by HSC R&D Division, Public Health Agency Parental alcohol misuse or ‘hidden harm’ presents a very significant challenge to public health policy and practice in the UK and internationally. A parent’s alcohol problems can have a profound impact on their children. Children depend on their family to meet their physical, psychological and social needs, their economic security and well-being, all of which can be jeopardised by parents misusing substances (NACD, 2011). The prevalence of parental alcohol misuse is extremely difficult to estimate, due to the ‘hidden’ nature of the problem within the family unit. Approximately 40,000 children in Northern Ireland are estimated to live with parental alcohol misuse (DHSSPS, 2008). In the UK, 30% of children (3.3 to 3.5 million) under 16 years, live with at least one binge drinking parent and 22% of children (2.6. million) with a hazardous drinker (Manning et al., 2009).