Assessing Colorectal Cancer Screening Barriers in Rural Appalachia. 2021

Thao Wolbert, and Rahman Barry, and Todd Gress, and Amanda Arrington, and Errington Thompson
From the Department of Surgery, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, the Department of Plastic Surgery, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee, the Department of Translational Research, Hershel "Woody" Williams Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Huntington, West Virginia, and the Department of Surgery, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson.

The age-appropriate colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rate in the rural Appalachian area is low compared with the national rate, which may account for the overall higher incidence of CRC in this area. The purpose of this study was to explore potential barriers to CRC screening in the West Virginia Appalachian area. A cross-sectional survey was designed to identify patient-reported barriers to CRC screening using the health belief model to assess their attitudes and behaviors. Autonomous paper-based surveys were randomly handed to individuals older than 50 years at various locations, including healthcare and nonhealthcare facilities. All of the responses were then categorized into two groups: the screened group and the unscreened group. Differences among both groups were statistically analyzed. There were three main areas that significantly accounted for the discrepancies between the screened and unscreened groups: perceptions of discomfort from screening tests, psychological and behavior deterrents in CRC screening and diagnosis, and limited resources for accessing care, especially transportation. In particular, psychological and behavioral deterrents in CRC screening appeared to play a role in promoting aversion to CRC screening. Lack of CRC screening awareness and knowledge may be responsible for fatalism regarding CRC and aversion to screening. Thus, multidisciplinary interventions that provide education about CRC screening, early intervention prognosis, and treatment options, as well as addressing systemic barriers to screening, such as assistance with scheduling, prep instructions, and transportation, can improve the screening rate in Appalachia and eventually lead to better outcomes through the early diagnosis of CRC.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D010342 Patient Acceptance of Health Care Patients' willingness to receive health care. Acceptability of Health Care,Health Care Seeking Behavior,Acceptability of Healthcare,Acceptors of Health Care,Health Care Utilization,Nonacceptors of Health Care,Patient Acceptance of Healthcare,Care Acceptor, Health,Care Acceptors, Health,Care Nonacceptor, Health,Care Nonacceptors, Health,Health Care Acceptability,Health Care Acceptor,Health Care Acceptors,Health Care Nonacceptor,Health Care Nonacceptors,Healthcare Acceptabilities,Healthcare Acceptability,Healthcare Patient Acceptance,Healthcare Patient Acceptances,Utilization, Health Care
D003430 Cross-Sectional Studies Studies in which the presence or absence of disease or other health-related variables are determined in each member of the study population or in a representative sample at one particular time. This contrasts with LONGITUDINAL STUDIES which are followed over a period of time. Disease Frequency Surveys,Prevalence Studies,Analysis, Cross-Sectional,Cross Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Survey,Surveys, Disease Frequency,Analyses, Cross Sectional,Analyses, Cross-Sectional,Analysis, Cross Sectional,Cross Sectional Analyses,Cross Sectional Studies,Cross Sectional Survey,Cross-Sectional Analyses,Cross-Sectional Analysis,Cross-Sectional Study,Cross-Sectional Surveys,Disease Frequency Survey,Prevalence Study,Studies, Cross-Sectional,Studies, Prevalence,Study, Cross-Sectional,Study, Prevalence,Survey, Cross-Sectional,Survey, Disease Frequency,Surveys, Cross-Sectional
D006297 Health Services Accessibility The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others. Access To Care, Health,Access to Care,Access to Contraception,Access to Health Care,Access to Health Services,Access to Medications,Access to Medicines,Access to Therapy,Access to Treatment,Accessibility of Health Services,Availability of Health Services,Contraception Access,Contraceptive Access,Medication Access,Accessibility, Health Services,Contraceptive Availability,Health Services Geographic Accessibility,Program Accessibility,Access to Cares,Access to Contraceptions,Access to Medication,Access to Medicine,Access to Therapies,Access to Treatments,Access, Contraception,Access, Contraceptive,Access, Medication,Accessibilities, Health Services,Accessibility, Program,Availability, Contraceptive,Care, Access to,Cares, Access to,Contraception, Access to,Contraceptive Accesses,Health Services Availability,Medication Accesses,Medication, Access to,Medicine, Access to,Medicines, Access to,Therapy, Access to,Treatment, Access to
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D001294 Attitude to Health Public attitudes toward health, disease, and the medical care system. Health Attitude,Attitude, Health,Attitudes, Health,Health Attitudes,Health, Attitude to
D014903 West Virginia State bounded on the north by Ohio, Maryland, and Pennsylvania, bounded on the west by Ohio and Kentucky, on the east and south by Virginia.
D015179 Colorectal Neoplasms Tumors or cancer of the COLON or the RECTUM or both. Risk factors for colorectal cancer include chronic ULCERATIVE COLITIS; FAMILIAL POLYPOSIS COLI; exposure to ASBESTOS; and irradiation of the CERVIX UTERI. Colorectal Cancer,Colorectal Carcinoma,Colorectal Tumors,Neoplasms, Colorectal,Cancer, Colorectal,Cancers, Colorectal,Carcinoma, Colorectal,Carcinomas, Colorectal,Colorectal Cancers,Colorectal Carcinomas,Colorectal Neoplasm,Colorectal Tumor,Neoplasm, Colorectal,Tumor, Colorectal,Tumors, Colorectal
D015438 Health Behavior Combination of HEALTH KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, PRACTICE which underlie actions taken by individuals regarding their health. Health-Related Behavior,Behavior, Health,Behavior, Health-Related,Behaviors, Health,Behaviors, Health-Related,Health Behaviors,Health Related Behavior,Health-Related Behaviors

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