Colorectal cancer screening practices among attendees at a cancer screening clinic.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about colorectal cancer (CRC) screening behaviors among patients seen in a general cancer screening clinic.


METHODS
Age-eligible respondents completed a brief self-administered survey examining self-reported compliance with CRC screening recommendations and beliefs about the benefits of CRC screening.


RESULTS
Overall compliance with CRC screening among respondents was 43%. Although compliance did not differ by gender, persons aged 65+ years were more than five times more likely to be compliant with CRC screening (OR = 5.29, CI = 2.06-13.58). While a majority of respondents (87%) reported that they would complete CRC screening if recommended by a doctor, only 54% had talked with their doctors about examinations for CRC. Males were more likely to report they would complete testing if recommended by their doctors (OR = 6.81, CI = 1.46-31.8) and twice as likely to report having talked to their doctors about CRC testing (OR = 2.71, CI = 1.32-5.56).


CONCLUSIONS
Efforts to enhance CRC screening behaviors among motivated subpopulations seeking preventive care might consider opportunities to augment physician-patient dialogues regarding the need for screening tests. In addition, the dissonance between the recognized need for CRC testing and lack of compliance warrants further examination.
Steiniger
Erik
E
School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA.
Mahoney
Martin C
MC
Cummings
K Michael
KM
Leiras
Claudia
C
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance