The Effect of Self-administered Faecal Occult Blood Tests on Compliance with Screening for Colorectal Cancer: Results of a Survey of Those Invited

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Abstract
To determine the relative importance of heatth beliefs and the characteristics of different methods of faecal occult blood screening in predicting acceptance of the test a self completed questionnaire was offered to 590 patients registered with a practice in an Oxfordshire market town. The patients were an age-sex stratified random sample of those who had been offered screening as part of a trial in which one of three different faecal occult blood screening tests, two of which were setf-reported, had been offered. The overall adjusted response rate was 70.1%. Those who complied with the test had more positive attitudes to the implications of a positive test, to treatment and to the value of screening in general. The experience of a close relative or friend with bowel cancer was associated with an increased likelihood of compliance [odds ratio=15.2 (9.4–24.3)]. There were marked differences between the tests in the proportions of patients finding them ‘messy’ or ‘disgusting’ (Haemoccult 72.0%, Coloscreen 48.0%, Early Detector 55.4% x2 Haemoccult vs. self-reported=5.05 P<0.05), and the odds of finding the procedure disgusting were significantly higher among patients who did not complete the test [odds ratio 6.9 (3.1–15.5)].

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