Maternal risk Factors of childhood cancer in Libya: an exploratory study

Abstract:

The present study describes an exploratory observationalsurvey of maternal risk factors for childhood cancers in Benghazi. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on a convenient sample of mothers admitted with children at the Department of Hematology and Oncology pediatric hospital in Benghazi in April 2024. Data was collected by interviewing mothers to answer an administered questionnaire on some maternal risk factors of childhood cancer. The participation was voluntary and verbal personal consent was taken from the mothers, all data was kept confidential and anonymized.A total of 21 mothers voluntarily participated in this study. The mean age of mothers was 28 years.The percentage of mothers who gave birth naturally (57.14%) was greater than that of mothers who gave birth by cesarean section (42.86%). Most mothers were from Benghazi, with 47.6%, followed by Ajdabiya at 14.2%, similar proportions for other regions.

Regarding mother responses on some risk factors of childhood cancer, more than half of mothers57.1% used hair dye during pregnancy.   No other risk factors were observed in most mothers in this sample. However, due to the small sample size which may be prone to selection bias of hospitalizedmothers, our results cannot be generalized and are limited by recall or reporting bias. Further research is needed to identify maternal risk factors of childhood cancer in Libya and establish effective prevention strategies.Health education programs are required to increase mothers’ awareness about risk factors of malignancy in children.