Abstract
This cross-sectional study was conducted at Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital between July and August, 2025, using a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 523 valid questionnaires were analyzed (effective response rate: 87.17%) with a mean age of 59.39 ± 11.66 years. The knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 11.64 ± 3.51 (possible range: 0–16), 29.77 ± 2.50 (possible range: 8–40), and 42.12 ± 4.82 (possible range: 10–50), respectively. Positive correlations were observed between knowledge and attitude (correlation coefficient r = 0.204, P < 0.001), knowledge and practice (r = 0.144, P = 0.001), and attitude and practice (r = 0.294, P < 0.001). The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis of mediating effect showed that knowledge directly affected attitude (standardized path coefficient β = 0.160, P < 0.001) and practice (β = 0.110, P = 0.038), while attitude directly affected practice (β = 0.670, P < 0.001). Further, knowledge indirectly affected practice through attitude (β = 0.110, P < 0.001). Radiotherapy patients demonstrated a moderate level of knowledge, a generally neutral attitude, and relatively proactive practices concerning radiation dermatitis. The findings further indicate that attitude plays a mediating role in linking patient knowledge to self-care behaviors, suggesting that educational interventions targeting both knowledge improvement and attitude enhancement may help promote more effective skin care practices during radiotherapy.
Data availability
All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.
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Juan Lu and Xiao Hong Liu carried out the studies, participated in collecting data, and drafted the manuscript. Xiao Dong Han and Yan Hua Li performed the statistical analysis and participated in its design. Ying Liu participated in acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data and draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Ethics Committee of Shanxi Province Cancer Hospital (KY2025097). All participants were informed about the study protocol and provided written informed consent to participate in the study. I confirm that all methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines. All procedures were performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.
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Lu, J., Han, X., Liu, Y. et al. Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding radiation dermatitis among radiotherapy patients across Shanxi: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42582-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-42582-0
