Table 4.
Reasons for Not Undergoing Colorectal Cancer Screening Reported by Adults Aged 50 Years or Older (N = 3,355) in New Mexico, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), 2004a
| Reason | Never Had Home FOBT, % (95% CI), n = 1,695 | No Home FOBT in Previous Year, % (95% CI), n = 798 | Never Had Lower Endoscopy, % (95% CI), n = 1,504 | No Lower Endoscopy in Previous 5 Years, % (95% CI), n = 297 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physician never suggested | 36.6 (33.9-39.4) | 45.3 (41.2-49.4) | 35.8 (32.9-38.7) | 33.9 (27.5-40.8) |
| Physician said not necessary | 4.4 (3.3-5.7) | 9.0 (6.8-11.9) | 3.0 (2.1-4.3) | 5.8 (3.4-9.6) |
| Did test in physician office | 13.0 (11.3-15.0) | 5.4 (3.9-7.6) | NA | NA |
| No symptoms | 30.7 (28.2-33.4) | 21.9 (18.8-25.2) | 33.5 (30.7-36.4) | 36.3 (30.1-43.0) |
| No family history | 2.6 (1.8-3.9) | 1.1 (0.5-2.5) | 4.6 (3.5-6.0) | 3.9 (1.7-9.0) |
| Cost too high or not covered | 0.9 (0.5-1.4) | 1.0 (0.5-2.0) | 4.5 (3.4-6.0) | 4.8 (2.9-8.0) |
| Too young | 0.7 (0.3-1.7) | 0 | 0.9 (0.5-1.7) | 0 |
| Too old | 0.2 (0.1-0.7) | 1 (0.4-3.7) | 0.6 (0.2-1.6) | 0 |
| No time | 1.6 (0.9-2.9) | 2.7 (1.6-4.6) | 2.6 (1.6-4.1) | 1.3 (0.6-2.9) |
| Distasteful | 2.2 (1.5-3.3) | 1.4 (0.7-2.6) | 4.0 (3.0-5.2) | 4.0 (2.2-7.4) |
| Embarrassing | 0.5 (0.3-0.9) | 0.6 (0.1-2.3) | 1.4 (0.7-2.6) | 0.2 (0.0-1.5) |
| Fear of cancer | 0.3 (0.1-0.9) | 0 | 0.8 (0.4-1.5) | 0 |
| Test painful | NA | NA | 2.3 (1.6-3.4) | 4.0 (2.2-7.1) |
| Do not know where to get test | 0.3 (0.1-0.6) | 0.1 (0.0-1.0) | 0.1 (0.0-0.9) | 0.4 (0.1-2.6) |
| Do not know how to get test | 0.8 (0.4-1.6) | 0.1 (0.0-0.5) | 0.1 (0.0-0.4) | 0 |
| Never have routine checkup | 2.3 (1.6-3.4) | 5.6 (4.0-7.9) | 2.3 (1.6-3.3) | 1.1 (0.3-4.0) |
| Some other reason | 2.8 (2.0-3.9) | 4.7 (3.2-6.8) | 3.5 (2.5-4.8) | 4.4 (2.2-8.6) |
Abbreviations: FOBT, fecal occult blood test; CI, confidence interval; NA, not applicable.
a
Values represent weighted population-based estimates for 2004 New Mexico BRFSS respondents aged 50 y or older.