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Association of health beliefs and colonoscopy use among survivors of colorectal cancer

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Abstract

Objectives

Clinical practice guidelines recommend ongoing testing (surveillance) for colorectal cancer survivors because they remain at risk for both local recurrences and second primary tumors. However, survivors often do not receive colorectal cancer surveillance. We used the Health Belief Model (HBM) to identify health beliefs that predict intentions to obtain routine colonoscopies among colorectal cancer survivors.

Methods

We completed telephone interviews with 277 colorectal cancer survivors who were diagnosed 4 years earlier, between 2003 and 2005, in North Carolina. The interview measured health beliefs, past preventive behaviors, and intentions to have a routine colonoscopy in the next 5 years.

Results

In bivariate analyses, most HBM constructs were associated with intentions. In multivariable analyses, greater perceived likelihood of colorectal cancer (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.16–3.44) was associated with greater intention to have a colonoscopy. Survivors who already had a colonoscopy since diagnosis also had greater intentions of having a colonoscopy in the future (OR = 9.47, 95% CI = 2.08–43.16).

Conclusions

Perceived likelihood of colorectal cancer is an important target for further study and intervention to increase colorectal cancer surveillance among survivors. Other health beliefs were unrelated to intentions, suggesting that the health beliefs of colorectal cancer survivors and asymptomatic adults may differ due to the experience of cancer.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Ave., New York, NY, 10021, USA

    Talya Salz

  2. Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Noel T. Brewer

  3. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Robert S. Sandler & Christopher F. Martin

  4. Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Bryan J. Weiner & Morris Weinberger

Authors
  1. Talya Salz
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  2. Noel T. Brewer
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  3. Robert S. Sandler
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  4. Bryan J. Weiner
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  5. Christopher F. Martin
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  6. Morris Weinberger
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Talya Salz.

Additional information

This research was supported, in part, by grants from the National Institutes of Health (P30 DK034987, U01 CA093326) and by a George Bennett Dissertation fellowship from the Foundation for Informed Medical Decision Making and a Cancer Control Education Program fellowship from the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Salz, T., Brewer, N.T., Sandler, R.S. et al. Association of health beliefs and colonoscopy use among survivors of colorectal cancer. J Cancer Surviv 3, 193–201 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-009-0095-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11764-009-0095-0

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