title: Psycho-social Determinants of Colorectal Cancer Screening in Iran.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent cancer among Iranians, and threatens them at younger ages. This study was guided by the theoretical concepts of the preventive health model (PHM) to assess the attitudes and beliefs of Iranians towards CRC screening.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study was conducted with participation of 200 individuals aged 50 years or older in a Teaching Hospital in Tehran, Iran. Background characteristics (e.g., age, gender, marital status) were assessed and a validated instrument drawn from the PHM was applied to measure cognitive and psychosocial variables (i.e., self-efficacy, intention to screening, perceived susceptibility, cancer worries, response efficacy, and social support). Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and analyzed using the SPSS version 13.00 for Windows.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The age of the participants ranged from 50 years to 83 years (mean 60.13). Most respondents were married (62.5%), unemployed (42%), and had secondary or higher education (44.5%). Overall, 11% of respondents reported prior screening. Individuals obtained relatively poor scores on self-efficacy, intention to screening, perceived susceptibility, cancer worries, response efficacy, and social support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, individuals mostly reported poor attitude in regard to CRC screening. The results of the present study could guide policy makers in designing tailored interventions to increase the participation of individuals in screening programs.
authors.affiliation: Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamideh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salimzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eftekhar
authors.affiliation: Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delavari
authors.affiliation: Digestive Oncology Research Center, Digestive Disease Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Reza
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malekzadeh
keywords: Colorectal cancer; early detection; psychosocial determinants; screening