Relationship of colorectal cancer awareness and knowledge with colorectal cancer screening

Abstract

SUMMARY Aim The aim was to describe the association of awareness and knowledge with participation in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Materials & methods Telephone survey research was conducted with South Carolina (USA) residents aged 50–75 years using a 144-item instrument. Data were analyzed with SAS and Stata. Adjusted odds ratios are reported. Results Respondents (n = 1302) had heard of CRC screening (96%) and exhibited high levels of CRC awareness and knowledge; only 74% had ever been screened. Higher levels of knowledge were associated with a greater likelihood of having ever been screened (odds ratio: 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02–1.41; p < 0.001). Conclusion Results showed high levels of awareness and knowledge, but modest participation in CRC. Transforming awareness and knowledge into CRC screening participation should be a priority.

Assessing Colorectal Cancer Knowledge Among Puerto Rican Hispanics: Implications for Cancer Prevention and Control

“…Coughlin et.al [29] found that screening rates were lowest for Hispanic women with an annual household income of less than $15,000. In addition, in studies with different racial/ethnic groups, such as Hispanics, African Americans, Asians, and American Indians, the likelihood that a patient undergoes screening tests is lower in patients with lower income [30]. Both race and economic status appear to play roles not only in CRC knowledge, but also in CRC screening and incidence rates [31].…”

“…However, health insurance coverage appears to account for differences in CRC screening rates among racial/ethnic groups [40-41]. Furthermore, previous studies have found that adults without health insurance had the highest rate of not undergoing CRC screening compared to individuals with private or public insurance [42].…”

Examining connections between screening for breast, cervical and prostate cancer and colorectal cancer screening

“…The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends men and women aged 50 years and older to participate in CRC screening by having an annual fecal occult blood test (FOBT); a flexible sigmoidoscopy, double-contrast barium enema or computed tomography colonography every 5 years; or a colonoscopy every 10 years [3]. The Healthy People 2020 goal for CRC screening adherence is 70.5% [4]. However, the estimated percentage of individuals adhering to CRC screening ranges from 47 to 66% depending on the data source, sex, race and ethnicity [5–10].…”

“…Hébert et al ., found a CRC mortality-to-incidence ratio, an indicator of survival that incorporates both incidence and mortality, among AAs of 0.418 (95% CI: 0.390–0.447), whereas the mortality-to-incidence ratio was only 0.344 (95% CI: 0.330–0.360) among European–Americans (EAs); this difference was statistically significant [15]. Although rates of CRC screening are increasing in the USA, one possible explanation for the racial differences in CRC incidence and mortality are racial disparities in CRC screening [4]. Studies, including those from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), indicate increased prevalence or odds of CRC screening among EAs compared with AAs [4,6,7,16–17].…”

Mother–Daughter Dyad Recruitment and Cancer Intervention Challenges in an African American Sample

“…Insufficient knowledge about cancer screening guidelines and tests is a significant barrier to participation in preventive cancer screening, especially among minority populations, which contributes to disparate cancer mortality rates [4-7]. African-American women are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages of the disease [8, 9], and thus, have significantly higher mortality rates from cancer [2, 3, 10].…”