title: Colorectal cancer screening among Korean American immigrants: unraveling the influence of culture.
abstract: Screening for colorectal cancer (CRC) is underutilized among ethnic minority groups, particularly among Korean American immigrants. To explore the role of cultural and health beliefs in CRC screening, a structured questionnaire was administered to 281 Korean American immigrants aged between 50 and 88 in the New York metropolitan area. Results showed that 20% of the sample had undergone a fecal occult blood test within the past year, and 35% of the respondents had received a sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy within the previous five years. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed significant predictors including health belief constructs, such as perceived seriousness of cancer and confidence in screening uptake, and gender-specific cultural beliefs and attitudes about CRC screening. Perceived helplessness lowered CRC screening among the women, while fatalism lowered it among the men. The findings reinforce a need for cultural-and gender-specific intervention strategies to increase CRC screening in this particularly vulnerable population.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA. hylee@umn.edu
authors.forename: Hee Yun
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hyojin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Im
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001213:Asian / Q000523:psychology*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D003469:Culture; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors