Effect of public knowledge, attitudes, and behavior on willingness to undergo colorectal cancer screening using the health belief model

Abstract

Background/Aims:Success of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is dependent in part on the proportion of uptake by the targeted population. We aimed in this study to identify factors that were associated with willingness to undergo CRC screening based on the health belief model (HBM).Patients and Methods:This was a cross-sectional study among citizens of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Demographic data collected included gender, age, education, marital status, employment status, a history of CRC in the family or knowing a friend with CRC, as well as income. A questionnaire was developed in Arabic based on the HBM and included enquiries on knowledge about CRC symptoms and risk factors, types of CRC screening tests, perceived risk of CRC, previously undergoing CRC screening, intent to undergo CRC screening, perceived barriers to CRC screening, perceived severity of CRC, as well as attitudes toward CRC and its screening.Results:Five hundred participants were included. The mean age was 41.0 years (SD 10.7). Males were 50% and only 6.7% of those between 50 and 55 years of age had undergone CRC screening. Of those surveyed, 70.7% were willing to undergo CRC screening. Also, 70.5% thought that CRC is curable, 73.3% believed it was preventable, whereas 56.7% thought it was a fatal disease. Neither gender, level of education, occupation, income, marital status, nor general knowledge about CRC was found to be associated with the willingness to undergo CRC screening. Recognizing that colonoscopy was a screening test (OR 1.55, 95% CI; 1.04–2.29) was associated with a strong desire to undergo CRC screening while choosing a stool-based test was associated with not willing to undergo CRC screening (OR 0.59, 95%CI; 0.38–0.91).Conclusion:We found that the majority of those interviewed were willing to undergo CRC screening and identified a number of barriers as well as potential areas that could be targeted in the promotion of CRC screening uptake if such a national program were to be implemented.

The Health Belief Model and Preventive Measures: A Study of the Ministry of Health Campaign on Coronavirus in Saudi Arabia

“…Compared to other models, the HBM expands to support and maintain health behavior change interventions (Champion & Skinner, 2008). Additionally, the model has been applied to many health behaviors and in many campaigns, including in several Arab countries, such as Jordan, the KSA, and Egypt, and has shown significant results (see, for a study of breast cancer in Jordan, Mikhail & Petro-Nustas, 2001; for a study of colorectal cancer screening in the KSA, Almadi et al, 2015; and for a study in the practice of self-examination for breast cancer among Saudi women, Abolfotouh et al, 2015).…”

Knowledge and utilization of colorectal cancer screening in Saudi society

“…Our results revealed that the respondents' level of awareness and knowledge about CRC prevalence, risk factors, and screening was poor and inadequate. Many studies have reported similar results in different countries including SA, [11][12][13][14][15][16] Greece, 17 Australia, 18 Iran, 19 and Spain. 9 With regards to the prevalence of CRC among the Saudi population, only 22.2 per cent of the respondents correctly placed it as the most common in men, while the remaining undermined its magnitude by assigning it the second and third ranks.…”

Kolorektal kanserli hasta yakınlarının kolorektal kanserden korunmaya yönelik tutumları ve sağlıklı yaşam biçimi davranışları

“…In the present study, a positive, weak and statistically significant correlation was found between nutrition a subscale of HPLP and the subscales response efficacy and social influence of CCSABS and age. While no significant difference was found between nutrition and willingness to participate in CRC screening in Almadi et al 's study; in the study conducted by Koc et al with first degree relatives of CRC patients, they found a statistically significant difference between nutrition and participation in colonoscopy and they found higher participation rate to the colonoscopy among those with a good and balanced diet [7,19].…”

“…In the studies of Larkey et al and McQueen et al, women were found to have higher rate of participation in CRC screening tests than men [22,23]. Compared to these studies, in a review examining 37 studies conducted in USA, rate of men to participate in screenings was stated to be higher [24]; In the studies of Almadi, Koc and Ait Ouakrim it was found that there was no significant difference between the gender and participation in screenings and willingness to participate in screenings [7,11,19]. In the present study, CCSABS total mean score of the women and the mean scores of the subscales salience and coherence and response efficacy were found significantly high.…”

“…In Almadi et al's study where they defined many factors affecting the individual's participation in CRC early diagnosis/ screening programs, it was reported that having a CRC history in the family was determined as one of the factors affecting the participation in CRC screening programs and the willingness to participate in CRC screening programs; whereas, rate of the willingness to participate in CRC screening tests in people participating in the study was 70% and this rate increased to 83% in those who had CRC history in their family [19]. In the present study, 51.4% of the patient relatives stated that they wanted to participate in early detection/screening programs of CRC.…”