Vol. 4, Issue 7, Part D (2018)

Abstract
Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific part of the body grow and reproduce uncontrollably. These cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including the organs. It is a common condition and a serious health problem. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of adults regarding warning signs of cancer. To associate the knowledge score with demographical variables. Material and methods: A quantitative research approach using non-experimental exploratory design was adopted for the study. Using Non-Probability Convenient Sampling Technique 1000 adults was selected from urban slums of Pune city. Modified questionnaire was used to collect the data during August 2017 to September 2017 to obtain the knowledge level. Results: Findings of the study shows that 33.8% of the samples belongs to age group 18-31yrs, 37.8 % belongs to age group 32-44yrs, 19% belongs to age group 45-57yrs and 7.4% belongs to age group 58-70yrs. Distribution of samples according to their gender shows that the 41.3% were male and 58.7% were female and 22.1% samples had education up to primary level, 53% were secondary level 20% were graduate and 4.7% were post graduate. Distribution according to occupation shows that 29% were employed, 27% unemployed and 44% were home maker. Majority of the adults were found to have average knowledge i.e. 515 (51.5%), 33% of them had poor knowledge and only 15.5% had good knowledge regarding warning signs of cancer. Conclusion: Still, there is the need to create awareness in the community through educational programs on warning signs of cancer which will benefits in early detection and diagnosis of cancer, reducing the economic burden of cancer.