Table 6.
Socio-demographic, knowledge and attitudes associated with intention to screen for bowel cancer with FOBT
| Survey item | Total (n) | % Yes (n)a | OR (95% CI) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Gender (n = 92) | ||||
| Male |
21 |
61.9 (13) |
1 |
0.902 |
| Female |
71 |
63.4 (45) |
1.07 (0.39-2.91) |
|
|
Age in years^+ (n = 90) | ||||
| Up to 44 |
24 |
54.2 (13) |
1 |
0.277 |
| 45+ |
66 |
66.7 (44) |
1.69 (0.65-4.39) |
|
|
Marital status^+ (n = 86) | ||||
| Married or de-facto |
48 |
81.3 (39) |
5.96 (2.26-15.71) |
<0.0001* |
| Widowed/divorced/single |
38 |
42.1 (16) |
1 |
|
|
Employment status (n = 91) | ||||
| Employed |
34 |
79.4 (27) |
3.14 (1.15-8.58) |
0.022* |
| Not employed |
49 |
55.1 (27) |
1 |
|
|
Education (n = 90) | ||||
| 7 years or less (primary school or less) |
25 |
48.0 (12) |
1 |
0.043* |
| 8 or more years (some high school or more) |
65 |
70.8 (46) |
2.62 (1.02-6.78) |
|
|
Annual Income (n = 75) | ||||
| Less than $20,000 |
42 |
57.1 (24) |
1 |
0.048* |
| $20,000 or more |
33 |
78.8 (26) |
2.79 (0.99-7.84) |
|
|
Self-rated English reading ability (n = 90) | ||||
| Poor or fair |
24 |
54.2 (13) |
1 |
0.277 |
| Good, very good or excellent |
66 |
66.7 (44) |
1.69 (0.65-4.39) |
|
|
Last time you saw a doctor^+ (n = 89) | ||||
| In the past year |
82 |
68.3 (56) |
5.39 (0.98-29.6) |
0.047#* |
| Over a year ago |
7 |
28.6 (2) |
1 |
|
|
Frequency of doctor visits (n = 91) | ||||
| Once a year or less |
20 |
50.0 (10) |
1 |
0.148 |
| Couple of times a year or more |
71 |
67.9 (48) |
2.09 (0.76-5.7) |
|
|
Participated in any cancer screening in past 2 years^ (n = 89) | ||||
| No/not sure |
44 |
47.7 (21) |
1 |
0.003* |
| Yes |
45 |
77.8 (35) |
3.83 (1.53-9.6) |
|
|
Self-rated current health status (n = 90) | ||||
| Poor-fair |
43 |
67.4 (29) |
1 |
0.439 |
| Good-excellent |
47 |
59.6 (28) |
0.71 (0.3-1.69) |
|
|
Ever had a colonoscopy^+ (n = 91) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
77 |
58.4 (45) |
1 |
0.014* |
| Yes |
14 |
92.9 (13) |
9.24 (1.15-74.28) |
|
|
Seen media advertising on bowel cancer screening^+ (n = 91) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
59 |
57.6 (34) |
1 |
0.100 |
| Yes |
32 |
75.0 (24) |
2.20 (0.85-5.72) |
|
|
Knows someone in family with cancer^+ (n = 90) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
38 |
50.0 (19) |
1 |
0.025* |
| Yes |
52 |
73.1 (38) |
2.71 (1.12-6.56) |
|
|
Ever heard of bowel cancer before^+ (n = 91) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
20 |
45.0 (9) |
1 |
0.048* |
| Yes |
71 |
69.0 (49) |
2.72 (0.99-7.5) |
|
|
Ever heard of bowel cancer screening test^+ (prompted) (n = 90) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
63 |
57.1 (36) |
1 |
0.027* |
| Yes |
27 |
81.5 (22) |
3.30 (1.11-9.83) |
|
|
Aware bowel cancer/polyps can be asymptomatic (n = 90) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
40 |
50.0 (20) |
1 |
0.016* |
| Yes |
51 |
74.5 (38) |
2.92 (1.21-7.07) |
|
| Bowel cancer knowledge+ | ||||
|
Bowel cancer knowledge score (n = 92) | ||||
| 0-11 (Low) |
26 |
26.9 (7) |
1 |
X2[2]=20.3 |
| 12-15 (Medium) |
29 |
75.9 (22) |
8.50 (2.5-28.7) |
|
| 16-18 (High) |
37 |
78.4 (29) |
9.80 (3.1-31.6) |
<0.0001* |
|
Perceived self-efficacy^ | ||||
|
How confident do you feel to complete FOBT test (n = 92) | ||||
| Not confident-somewhat confident |
43 |
34.9 (15) |
1 |
<0.0001* |
| Confident-very confident |
49 |
87.8 (43) |
13.40 (4.6-38.6) |
|
| Perceived susceptibility^ | ||||
|
Thinks they are at risk of bowel cancer (n = 91) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
62 |
56.5 (35) |
1 |
0.035* |
| Yes |
29 |
79.3 (23) |
2.96 (1.06-8.3) |
|
|
Perceived severity | ||||
|
Do you think bowel cancer can be cured if found early?^+ (n = 92) | ||||
| No/don’t know |
17 |
35.3 (6) |
1 |
0.009* |
| Yes |
75 |
69.3 (52) |
4.15 (1.37-12.57) |
|
|
The thought of bowel cancer scares you (n = 82)b | ||||
| Disagree |
7 |
57.1 (4) |
1 |
0.703# |
| Agree |
75 |
64.0 (48) |
1.33 (0.28-6.40) |
|
|
If you had bowel cancer your whole life would change (n = 80)b | ||||
| Disagree |
11 |
81.8 (9) |
2.72 (0.55-13.5) |
0.312# |
| Agree |
69 |
62.3 (43) |
1 |
|
|
Fatalistic attitude | ||||
|
Getting cancer is like being sentenced to death (n = 79) | ||||
| Disagree |
40 |
75.0 (30) |
2.32 (0.89-6.03) |
0.082 |
| Agree |
39 |
56.4 (22) |
1 |
|
|
Shame | ||||
|
You would feel ashamed if you found out you had bowel cancer (n = 76)b | ||||
| Disagree |
54 |
77.8 (42) |
5.05 (1.74-14.7) |
0.003* |
| Agree |
22 |
40.9 (9) |
1 |
|
|
Perceived benefits | ||||
|
Doing a bowel cancer screening test can reduce chance of dying from bowel cancer (n = 83)b | ||||
| Disagree |
6 |
66.7 (4) |
1 |
1.0# |
| Agree | 77 | 67.5 (52) | 1.040 (0.18-6.06) | |
FOBT - faecal occult blood test. OR – odds ratio.
*Significant at p ≤ 0.05.
#Fisher’s Exact Test.
^Variables included in first step of Model 1 of multivariate logistic regression.
+Variables included in first step of Model 2 of multivariate logistic regression.
aRefers to percentage of respondents who answered yes to the screening intent item, Would you consider doing an FOBT/bowel screening test in the next 6-12 months?
bExcludes those who selected don’t know/unsure.