FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING

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DESCRIPTION: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer mortality among men and women in the United States. Though early detection can lead to decreased mortality and morbidity, screening remains markedly underutilized by persons at increased risk: those aged 51 and older and those with a family history, personal history of colorectal polyps, ulcerative colitis, high fat/low fiber diets, and sedentary life-styles. And, previous research findings with respect to breast cancer prevention have shown that beliefs and health system factors can influence screening behavior. This work has not been extended to CRC, and work framed by the Trans-Theoretical Model's stages of change has also not been conducted in the area. The purpose of the proposed study is, therefore, to examine the relationship of selected predisposing, reinforcing, and enabling factors on stages of adoption of CRC screening (including Fecal Occult Blood Testing/FOBT, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and colonoscopy). Univariate statistical techniques (correlations, ANOVA, t-test, Chi Square) will be utilized to examine relationships among predisposing, enabling, and reinforcing factors, and stage of CRC screening adoption. Polytomous logistic regression analysis will be conducted to determine the set of predictors significantly associated with each stage of screening behavior. RESEARCH PLAN