Knowledge of Oral Cancer Prevention among Higher Secondary School Adolescents in Sambalpur, Odisha, India

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a critical developmental stage explore new behaviours and practices. Tobacco use is one such habit that begins in early or mid-adolescence, gradually progressing into dependency, long-term health problems and higher lifetime cancer risk. Oral cancer remains a significant public health issue among adolescents in India, largely due to high tobacco consumption and lack of awareness regarding its prevention. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge level of oral cancer prevention among adolescents in selected higher secondary schools in Sambalpur, Odisha, and to determine the association between their knowledge level and selected demographic variables.

Methods: This study is a descriptive-correlational school-based study. It included 100 participants using simple random sampling (lottery method). A self-administered, structured, and validated questionnaire (r = 0.824) was used for data collection. The data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, mean, and standard deviation. The association between participants’ knowledge levels and their selected demographic variables was evaluated using Chi-square tests (p < 0.05).

Results: The results of this study show that the majority of the adolescents (45%) were 17 years old, with an equal distribution of male participants (50%). Most respondents were from the Science stream (55%), lived in urban areas (78%), and belonged to joint families (49%). The majority of adolescents’ fathers (41%) and mothers (33%) completed secondary education. Fathers were mostly self-employed (33%), and mothers (73%) were homemakers. The majority of participants (31%) reported a monthly family income of more than ₹20,000/-, while 87% did not have addiction habits. Most of the adolescents (67%) possessed only an average level of knowledge regarding oral cancer prevention. The mean knowledge score was 14.88 ± 4.75. A significant association was found between knowledge level and age (p = 0.03), educational stream (p = 0.03), and residence (p = 0.04).

Conclusion: Adolescents of the selected higher secondary school, Sambalpur, Odisha, possess average levels of knowledge regarding oral cancer prevention. Overall, this study highlights the importance of structured school-based health education programs and targeted awareness initiatives to improve adolescents’ understanding of oral cancer prevention. Enhancing knowledge at this formative stage can contribute to early identification of risk behaviours, improve preventive practices and support long-term oral health promotion among this vulnerable group.