title: Community-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening in a Rural Population: Who Returns Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) Kits?
abstract: To determine the return rate of community-delivered fecal immunochemical test (FIT) kits in a rural population and to identify significant predictors of returning kits.
  
  
  
  Residents were recruited in 8 rural Kentucky counties to enroll in the study and receive an FIT kit. Of 345 recruited, 82.0% returned an FIT kit from the point of distribution. These participants were compared to the remainder relative to age, sex, marital status, having an annual income below $15,000, not graduating from high school, not having a regular health care provider, not having health care coverage, being a current smoker, indicating current overweight or obese status, and a scale measure of fatalism pertaining to colorectal cancer. Predictors achieving significance at the bivariate level were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model to calculate adjusted OR and 95% CI.
  
  
  
  The return rate was 82.0%. In adjusted analyses, those indicating an annual income of less than $15,000 were 2.85 times more likely to return their kits (95% CI: 1.56-5.24; P < .001). Also, those not perceiving themselves to be overweight/obese were 1.95 times more likely to return their kits (95% CI: 1.07-3.55; P = .029).
  
  
  
  An outreach-based colorectal cancer screening program in a rural population may yield high return rates. People with annual incomes below $15,000 and those not having perceptions of being overweight/obese may be particularly likely to return FIT kits.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and the Rural Cancer Prevention Center, the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and the Rural Cancer Prevention Center, the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stradtman
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and the Rural Cancer Prevention Center, the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health and the Rural Cancer Prevention Center, the University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Robin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vanderpool
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007120:Immunochemistry / Q000295:instrumentation; D007182:Income / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007629:Kentucky / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000074285:Smokers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: access to care; colorectal cancer screening; epidemiology; fecal immunochemical testing; health disparities