A Study of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice on Colorectal Cancer Screening among Individuals Older than 50 Years Based on Health Belief Model

Colorectal cancer is a global health problem. Most patients are curable with early diagnosis and screening program. This study was conducted with the objective of determining knowledge, attitude, and practice on colorectal cancer screening among individuals older than 50 years using health belief model. This cross-sectional study was performed on 200 individuals more than 50 years of age referred to the clinics of educational hospitals of Qom city in 2012. The available sampling method was used, and data collection tools were Champion's Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS) and socio-demographic variables questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t- and chi-square tests. The significance level was considered less than 0.05. The mean age of the subjects was 62.47±10.78, and 75.5% of them were women. A high percentage (93.5%) of the participants had no information about colorectal cancer screening, and only 2.5% participated in the screening program. The subjects were at the lowest level in terms of perceived susceptibility and had the highest percentage regarding positive perceived benefits. The subjects who participated in the screening program achieved significantly higher scores in the domains of perceived benefits and Self-efficacy (p<0.05). According to the findings of this study, level of knowledge and behaviors about colorectal cancer screening is low among individuals more than 50 years of age. Most participants had no perceived susceptibility to colorectal cancer and more than half of the subjects perceived many barriers to screening. With respect to the described health beliefs, implementation of intervention and education programs is necessary in this regard.