• Martin C S Wong, George K John, Hoyee W Hirai, Thomas Y T Lam, Arthur K C Luk, Jessica Y L Ching, Simon S M Ng, Francis K L Chan, Sian M Griffiths, and Joseph J Y Sung.
• School of Public Health & Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 4/F, School of Public Health and Primary Care, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong SAR, China. wong_martin@cuhk.edu.hk
• Cancer Causes Control. 2012 Sep 1; 23 (9): 1541-8.

PurposeColorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality worldwide. This study examined factors influencing the choice of participants between colonoscopy and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in a screening program and the impact of an unbiased educational session on influencing this decision.MethodsData from 7,845 participants who underwent screening between May 2008 and April 2011 was analyzed. Binary logistic regression and multinomial regression were performed to calculate the odds of selection of colonoscopy instead of FIT and the impact of the educational session on final participant choice, respectively.ResultsOf the 7,845 participants, 4,796 (61 %) underwent FIT and 3,049 (39 %) underwent colonoscopy. A significant number of participants changed their initial choice after the educational session, with 27.1 % changing to FIT from colonoscopy and 8 % changing from FIT to colonoscopy. Age, educational level, occupation, income, family history of CRC, perception of risk of CRC, and perceptions regarding CRC screening were significantly different among the groups choosing FIT and colonoscopy. Family history of CRC and high self-perception of CRC risk resulted in higher odds of choosing colonoscopy, whereas older age, single marital status, and negative perception of CRC screening resulted in lower odds. Perceptions of overall health status, occupation, low income, younger age, and negative perceptions of CRC screening were associated with higher odds of change in screening choice.ConclusionsThose at higher odds of changing CRC screening options should be supported with more detailed explanations by primary care physicians to secure a more informed and considered choice.

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