title: Cognitive ability and personality as predictors of participation in a national colorectal cancer screening programme: the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The English NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme has offered biennial faecal occult blood testing to people aged 60-69 years since 2006, and to those aged 60-74 years since 2010. Analysis of the first 2.6 million screening invitations found that 54% of eligible people took up the invitation. The reasons for this low uptake are unclear. We investigated whether participation in screening varies according to cognitive ability and personality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were members of The English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. In 2010-2011, respondents were asked about participation in bowel cancer screening, and cognitive ability and the 'Big Five' personality traits were assessed. Logistic regression was used to examine the cross-sectional relationships between cognitive ability and personality and screening participation in 2681 people aged 60-75 years who were eligible to have been invited to take part in the UK national screening programme for bowel cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In age-adjusted and sex-adjusted analyses, better cognition and higher conscientiousness were associated with increased participation in cancer screening. ORs (95% CIs) per SD increase were 1.10 (1.03 to 1.18) for cognitive ability and 1.10 (1.01 to 1.19) for conscientiousness. After further adjustment for household wealth and health literacy-shown previously to be associated with participation-these associations were attenuated (ORs were 1.07 (1.00 to 1.15) and 1.07 (0.97 to 1.18), respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found some indication that better cognitive function and greater conscientiousness may be linked with a slightly increased likelihood of participation in bowel cancer screening. These relationships need investigation in other cohorts of older people.
authors: Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Ageing & Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
authors: Catharine R
authors: CR
authors: Gale
authors: Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Ageing & Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: Ian J
authors: IJ
authors: Deary
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: Wardle
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Zaninotto
authors: Department of Psychology, Centre for Cognitive Ageing & Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors: G David
authors: GD
authors: Batty
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003071:Cognition; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004739:England; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013222:State Medicine
keywords: COGNITION; PSYCHOLOGY; SCREENING; SOCIAL CLASS; SOCIO-ECONOMIC
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