Factors Associated with the Use of Gastric Cancer Screening Services in Korea: The Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008 (KNHANES IV)

Abstract

Objectives: Despite government efforts to increase participation in gastric cancer screening, the rate is still suboptimal in Korea. Therefore, we explored barriers to and predictors of gastric cancer screening participation among a nationally representative sample. Methods: We used the Health Interview Survey sub-dataset derived from the Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008 (KNHANES IV) to evaluate participation in gastric cancer screening and factors associated with attendance in individuals age ≥40 years. We enrolled 4,464 subjects who completed the questionnaire and were not previously diagnosed with gastric cancer. Four groups of factors were considered potential predictors of gastric cancer screening in a multivariate analysis: sociodemographic, health behavior, psychological and cognitive, and dietary factors. Results: Overall, 41.3% complied with the gastric cancer screening recommendations. Younger age, lower education level, living without a spouse, frequent binge drinker, and current smoker were significantly associated with less participation in gastric cancer screening. Conclusions: To improve participation in gastric cancer screening, more focused interventions should be directed to vulnerable populations, such as groups with low socioeconomic status or unhealthy behavior. In addition, there should be new promotional campaigns and health education to provide information targeting these vulnerable populations.

Relationship between Smoking History and Annual Medical Checkup Attendance in Undergraduates

“…Elderly smokers were less likely to participate in general medical checkup or cancer screening 12,13) and this study of young people had similar results. Reasons for smoking have suggested many variables such as socio-economic status or family history of smoking [15][16][17] .…”

“…Smoking may be closely linked with other negative health behaviors 10,11) . There are a few papers on the relationship between smoking and checkup attendance for elderly people 12,13) . However, we could not find studies on young people.…”

Association of Smoking History with Cancer Recurrence and Survival in Stage III–IV Male Gastric Cancer Patients

“…The health behavior of smokers, which is not as good as that of never-smokers, may also contribute to this survival difference (31)(32)(33)(34). In the 2006 Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, an annual cross-sectional survey that uses nationally representative random sampling to investigate the cancer-screening rates, current smokers showed lower rates of endoscopy use than nonsmokers (31).…”

Gastric Cancer in Asian American Populations: a Neglected Health Disparity

“…Gastric cancer screening was implemented in Korea during 1999 as part of the national cancer screening program Choi et al, 2012;Shin and Lee, 2012;Cho et al, 2013;Kim et al, 2013). Screening every two years is recommended for people ages 40 years and older via either gastric endoscopy or upper gastrointestinal series Choi et al, 2012).…”