Medical Students’ Relatives Show Gaps in Lung Cancer Knowledge, Chinese Survey Finds

Nearly one in three relatives of medical students in China lacks adequate knowledge of the core facts about lung cancer prevention and treatment, according to a cross-sectional survey published in BMC Medical Education. Of 713 completed questionnaires, returned at a response rate of 75.5 percent, 217 respondents, or 30.4 percent, were classified as having inadequate awareness of core knowledge on lung cancer prevention and treatment, while 496 respondents, or 69.6 percent, reached the threshold for adequate knowledge.

The study set out to evaluate how well the family members of medical students understood this core knowledge and to identify the factors that shaped their awareness. Medical students are considered well positioned to relay scientifically valid information about lung cancer prevention to their households, so the authors reasoned that mapping knowledge levels among their relatives could reveal where such information transfer falls short. Participants completed an electronic survey covering eleven items on basic demographic details, twenty-four items testing knowledge of lung cancer prevention and treatment, and questions about their interest in receiving popular science education on the disease.

To determine which characteristics predicted inadequate knowledge, the researchers used multivariate logistic regression. The analysis identified three factors significantly associated with adequate knowledge: being female, having a higher education level, and having experienced cancer screening. By implication, the groups most at risk of knowledge gaps were male respondents, those with lower educational attainment, and those who had never undergone cancer screening. The authors conclude that targeted interventions should focus on these three groups.

The survey also probed how respondents preferred to receive lung cancer science education. Social media emerged as the primary channel through which participants wanted to acquire this information. Among specific dissemination formats, the most favored were written articles, expert lectures, and patient-doctor communication sessions. These preferences suggest that future outreach aimed at closing knowledge gaps could be tailored to the platforms and formats that this population already finds accessible.

The findings carry important limitations that the authors themselves note. The study used a cross-sectional design, which captures awareness at a single point in time and cannot establish causal relationships between the identified factors and knowledge levels. In addition, because the sample was drawn exclusively from the relatives of medical students, potential selection bias limits how far the results can be generalized to the wider population. Families with a medical student member may already differ systematically in health literacy and access to information compared with households without such a connection.

Within those constraints, the study offers a concrete starting point for intervention design. It identifies which demographic groups among an already advantaged population still fall short on core lung cancer knowledge, and it documents the communication channels those groups prefer. The authors argue that efforts to improve awareness of lung cancer prevention and treatment should be directed at males, less-educated individuals, and people without screening experience, and that social media, articles, expert lectures, and patient-doctor communication sessions represent the most promising vehicles for delivering that education.

Subject of Research: Awareness of core lung cancer prevention and treatment knowledge among relatives of medical students in China

Article Title: Analysis of the awareness of core knowledge on lung cancer prevention and treatment among relatives of medical students

Article References: Yu, N., Zhang, L., Ma, G., Dang, S., & Han, D. (2026). Analysis of the awareness of core knowledge on lung cancer prevention and treatment among relatives of medical students. BMC Medical Education. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07190-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12909-025-07190-y

Keywords: lung cancer, health literacy, medical students, cross-sectional survey, cancer screening, science education, social media, China, BMC Medical Education, knowledge gaps, Analysis, awareness