Barriers of colorectal cancer screening test among adults in the Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional study

• Published in: Preventive medicine reports 2020-12, Vol.20, p.101235-101235, Article 101235
• Main Authors: Alduraywish, Shatha A., Altamimi, Leen A., Almajed, Ashwaq A., Kokandi, Bushra A., Alqahtani, Rawan S., Alghaihb, Shatha G., Aldakheel, Fahad M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Barriers; Colonoscopy; Colorectal cancer; Fecal occult blood test; FOBT; Regular; Screening
• ISSN: 2211-3355; 2211-3355
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2020.101235

•Lack of physician recommendation was commonly reported barrier to CRC screening.•Barriers to CRC screening were observed more in females.•Barriers to CRC screening were seen more in those who had not performed CRC screening. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death worldwide. CRC can be completely cured if detected at an early stage with screening. However, many barriers to screening have been reported. This study aimed to identify the potential barriers to CRC screening among the Saudi population aged ≥45 years. A cross-sectional study of randomly selected adults (aged ≥45 years) attending primary care clinics at KKUH in Saudi Arabia was conducted. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 448 participants were included. In general, the most commonly reported barrier to CRC screening was a lack of physician recommendation (77.1%). Moreover, fear of painful colonoscopy procedures and a lack of knowledge regarding the availability of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) were reported by 51.6% and 57.8% of patients, respectively. Significant gender differences were observed, with females reporting more barriers to CRC screening than males (general barriers [p