Assessing and Addressing Patient Colorectal Cancer Screening Barriers

Background / Rationale:

Despite strong evidence for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a variety of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening methods for reducing CRC mortality, current CRC screening rates fall far below the levels needed to significantly impact CRC mortality. Unfortunately, however, the existing literature on patient CRC screening behavior does not yet provide a sufficient evidence base for making sound recommendations regarding how to most effectively improve upon these rates in the VA. This study will inform future CRC screening promotion efforts and make important scientific contributions to existing literature by: (a) delineating the relative contribution of patient cognitive, environmental and background factors to CRC screening behavior using a multi-level, theory driven analysis approach on a nationally representative sample, and (b) identifying the determinants of variation in CRC screening behavior across vulnerable population subgroups.

Objective(s):

The overall goal of this study was to address significant gaps in the existing evidence base in order to inform the development of effective patient-directed interventions to increase CRC screening among veterans age 50 and older. This was accomplished by using data collected from a mailed patient survey and theory-based analysis approaches to uncover key barriers to screening adherence and to identify fruitful intervention approaches for modifying them. The specific primary objectives of this study were to: (1) Estimate the relative effect of patient cognitive (knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy), environmental (social network and medical care characteristics), and background (demographics, health status, prior screening experiences) factors on CRC screening behavior; (2) Identify factors that contribute to any disparities in CRC screening behavior by race/ethnicity or other patient characteristics; (3) Identify from these analyses: (a) priority population subgroups to target in future interventions (i.e., those at the greatest risk of failing to be screened), and (b) priority factors to target in future interventions (i.e., those that are not only strongly associated with CRC screening but also prevalent in the target population and amenable to intervention, as well as those that are most likely to ameliorate race and other disparities). Secondary objectives included: (1) assessing patient values and preferences regarding the various CRC screening modality options, (2) estimating stage of readiness to adopt CRC screening in the study population, and (3) validating measures of CRC knowledge and self-reported screening behavior.

Methods: