Early Cancer Detection/Screening Behaviors of Individuals Aged 40 Years and Over in Trabzon and the Influencing Factors

Abstract

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to determine early cancer detection/screening behaviors of individuals and the influencing factors. METHODSThis descriptive study was conducted in the center of Trabzon, Turkey. The study population comprised a total of 105.071 individuals aged ≥40 years living in the city center, and the sample size was determined as 1.200. To collect the data, a questionnaire form was used, and a chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to evaluate them. RESULTSThe mean age of participants was 54.90±11.16 years. A total of 16.1% had a fecal occult blood test (FOBT), and 15.2% underwent colonoscopy. A total of 45.3% of women had a breast self-examination (BSE), 22.7% had clinical breast examination (CBE), 14.3% had mammography, 29.2% had a Pap smear, and 15.8% of men had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. The effective variables on screening behaviors were found as the age, education level, health insurance, cancer history in first-degree relatives for BSE; income, monthly income, first-degree death from cancer for CBE; health assurance, first-degree relative death from cancer for mammography; age, cancer history in first-degree relatives for the Pap smear test; age, gender, income for FOBT; age, income, the place where the individuals lived the longest, first-degree relative death from cancer for colonoscopy; and cancer history in first-degree relatives and first-degree relative death from cancer for PSA. CONCLUSIONThe participants were determined to have low screening tests/examinations. It is thought that the results of this study may provide important clues in the development of strategies to fight cancer in our city.