title: Reasons for participating in the Valencian Community Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme by gender, age, and social class.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To know the reasons to participate or not in a colorectal cancer (CCR) screening programme and to analyze the differences by sex, age and social class.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study by a telephone survey directed to a sample of men and women aged between 50-74 year old,participants (n = 383) and non participants (n = 383) in the CCR screening programme of Valencian Community. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression models estimating the Odds Ratio (p < 0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main reasons to participate are "it is important for health" (97.9 %) and "the test is easy" (97.6 %); and to nonparticipate are "no CCR symptoms" (49.7 %) and "didn't receive invitation letter" (48.3 %). Women are more likely not to participate if the reason was to consider the "test unpleasant" (OR: 1.82; IC: 1.00-3.28), and men if the reason was "lack of time" (OR 0.51;IC: 0.27-0.97); persons 60 or more years old if the reason was "diagnostic fear" (OR: 2.31; IC: 1.11-4.80), and persons 50-59 years old if was "lack of time" (OR 0.44; IC: 0.23-0.85); non manual social class persons if the reason was "lack of time" (OR: 2.66; IC: 1.40-5.10); manual women if the reason was "embarrassment to perform the test" (OR: 0.37; IC: 0.14-0.97); and non manual men if was "lack of time" (OR: 4.78; IC: 1.96-11.66).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are inequalities in the reasons for not participating in CCR screening programmes by sex, age and social class. It would be advisable to design actions that incorporate specific social group needs in order to reduce inequalities in participation.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Molina-Barceló
authors.forename: Dolored
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Salas-Trejo
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peiró-Pérez
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vanaclocha
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: Susana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Castán
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class