Use of cancer screening services in Greece and associated social factors: results from the nation-wide Hellas Health I survey

Abstract

This study estimated the rates of age-appropriate screening practices for breast, cervical, colon and prostate cancer within the general population in Greece and explored the influences of social factors on their use. Data were based on the cross-sectional Hellas Health I survey (2006) conducted on a representative sample of 1005 adults, aged 18-69 years. The percentage of women aged 21-69 years having received the papanicolaou smear test within the past 3 years was 59.4%, and the percentage of women aged 50-69 years having received mammography and the faecal occult blood test (FOBT) within the past 3 years was 53.8 and 8.3%, respectively. There were significant effects of age, education and marital status on carrying out the papanicolaou smear test, age on carrying out mammography, and existence of a family doctor on carrying out the FOBT. In men aged 50-69 years, 40.6% had received the prostate-specific antigen test and 10.9% of men had received the FOBT during the past 3 years. The percentage of men aged 50-69 years who had undergone digital rectal examination within the past 5 years was 20.3%. Multivariate analyses showed significant effects of age, social class, smoking status and type of insurance on carrying out the prostate-specific antigen test and of age on carrying out the digital rectal examination. No effects were revealed for the FOBT in men. The percentage of the population in Greece receiving screening services recommended by the European Council is low and seriously affected by social factors. Public health policies should direct their efforts towards introducing good-quality universal cancer screening and find culturally sensitive ways of addressing the barriers that prevent Greek people from adopting poor-quality cancer screening practices.

Prostate cancer screening in Switzerland: 20-year trends and socioeconomic disparities

“…Informed-decision making involves patients considering the pros and cons of screening considering the options together with personal values, and making a decision (Bowen et al, 2011). Several studies including studies from the United States and European countries have shown that men or their physicians/urologists continue to use PSA testing (Carrasco-Garrido et al, 2014;Dimitrakaki et al, 2009;Drazer et al, 2015;So et al, 2014 (Drazer et al, 2015). Factors such as age, higher socioeconomic status (SES), being married, and having a usual source of care have been associated with PSA test use (Dimitrakaki et al, 2009;Drazer et al, 2015;Ross et al, 2005).…”

“…Several studies including studies from the United States and European countries have shown that men or their physicians/urologists continue to use PSA testing (Carrasco-Garrido et al, 2014;Dimitrakaki et al, 2009;Drazer et al, 2015;So et al, 2014 (Drazer et al, 2015). Factors such as age, higher socioeconomic status (SES), being married, and having a usual source of care have been associated with PSA test use (Dimitrakaki et al, 2009;Drazer et al, 2015;Ross et al, 2005). The introduction of PSA screening has resulted in more than 1 million additional men being diagnosed and treated for PCa in the United States, most of this excess incidence being attributable to overdiagnosis (Welch and Albertsen, 2009).…”

“…Temporal patterns of PCa screening by SES in Switzerland have not been investigated, which is of particular interest given that the use of PCa screening has been shown to vary by SES in other developed countries (Carrasco-Garrido et al, 2014;Dimitrakaki et al, 2009;Ross et al, 2007;So et al, 2014;Tabuchi et al, 2015;Weber et al, 2013). In general cancer screening is most frequent among individuals belonging to high SES because of better knowledge and higher access to medical care.…”

Factors that influence mammography screening behaviour: A qualitative study of Greek women's experiences

“…Within Greece, evidence has identified low participation rates in the participation in mammography screening (Kamposioras et al 2008;Dimitrakaki et al 2009;Mauri et al 2009). For example, Simou et.…”

The Promise of Disease Management in Greece

“…The percentage of Greek population receiving screening services is low and seriously affected by social factors. Public health policies should direct their efforts towards introducing good-quality screening and fi nd culturally sensitive ways of addressing these barriers [26,27]. Of course Greece is not the only case: in spite of the incomplete [20].…”