Does colorectal cancer risk perception predict screening behavior? A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Although health behavior theories postulate that risk perception should motivate colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, this relationship is unclear. This meta-analysis aims to examine the relationship between CRC risk perception and screening behavior, while considering potential moderators and study quality. A search of six databases yielded 58 studies (63 effect sizes) that quantitatively assessed the relationship between CRC risk perception and screening behavior. Most included effect sizes (75 %) reported a positive association between CRC risk perception and screening behavior. A random effects meta-analysis yielded an overall effect size of z = 0.13 (95 % CI 0.10-0.16), which was heterogeneous (I (2) = 99 %, τ(2) = 0.01). Effect sizes from high-quality studies were significantly lower than those from lower quality studies (z = 0.02 vs. 0.16). We found a small, positive relationship between CRC risk perception and reported screening behavior, with important identified heterogeneity across moderators. Future studies should focus on high quality study design.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 641 Lexington Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA. atkinsot@mskcc.org.
Thomas M
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4965-3913
TM
Atkinson
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 641 Lexington Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA. salzt@mskcc.org.
Talya
T
Salz
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, USA. ktouza@iupui.edu.
Kaitlin K
KK
Touza
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 641 Lexington Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA. liy12@mskcc.org.
Yuelin
Y
Li
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 641 Lexington Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA. hayj@mskcc.org.
Jennifer L
JL
Hay
D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000523:psychology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D018570:Risk Assessment
Colorectal neoplasms; Early detection of cancer; Meta-analysis; Patient-reported outcomes; Perceived risk