Colorectal Cancer Screening Among South Asians: Focus Group Findings on Attitudes, Knowledge, Barriers and Facilitators

Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are low among South Asians. Understanding barriers and facilitators about CRC screening among South Asians may inform effective messaging and interventions. We conducted eight focus groups (FGs) among South Asians to gather contextual information about CRC cau...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2018-11, Vol.29 (4), p.1416-1437
Main Authors: Ivey, Susan L, Mukherjea, Arnab, Patel, Aashna, Kapoor, Nilesh, Rau, Sameeha, Kazi, Eiman, Bhatia, Jaskirat, Somsouk, Ma, Tseng, Winston
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Asian Americans
Barriers
Breast cancer
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Census of Population
Colorectal cancer
Colorectal carcinoma
Community
Content analysis
Contextual information
Cultural factors
Focus groups
Health disparities
Health promotion
Mammography
Medical screening
Modesty
Mortality
Physicians
Public health
Qualitative research
Shame
Task forces
Womens health
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Summary:Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates are low among South Asians. Understanding barriers and facilitators about CRC screening among South Asians may inform effective messaging and interventions. We conducted eight focus groups (FGs) among South Asians to gather contextual information about CRC causes, screening barriers and facilitators, and cultural factors affecting screening. An overarching sentiment across Asian Indian and Bangladeshi FGs was that cancer is considered a death sentence. However, many participants were unaware that CRC was a problem in their communities, and considered CRC screening as a low priority. Women often thought of CRC as mostly affecting men. Physician influence on screening decisions was most frequently discussed among Bangladeshis, as were sentiments of shame and modesty that may prevent screening. Findings highlight that physicians should provide culturally-appropriate CRC information for South Asian patients, and the importance of access to CRC screening for South Asians.
ISSN:1049-2089
1548-6869
1548-6869
DOI:10.1353/hpu.2018.0104