Correlates of colorectal cancer screening compliance among urban Hispanics

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cancer among Latinos; screening can reduce mortality from CRC. The aims of this study are; to assess the current compliance with free colorectal cancer screening among Hispanic women who are participating in a national breast and cervical cancer screening program (NBCCEDP), and to examine the effects of a set of key constructs from the HBM and the TPB on compliance with the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT). We consecutively recruited 950 women from among those attending an initial appointment at an NBCCEDP site in northern Manhattan, and administered a questionnaire. Patients were offered a free Hemoccult kit, alongside instructions and print materials. The rate of FOBT compliance (in kit return) was 77.3%. Fatalism remained a statistically significant influence on FOBT compliance in the multivariate models, and there was a trend for higher FOBT return among West Indies women (primarily from the Dominican Republic). The findings of this study demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of distributing FOBT kits through an existing national program for cancer screening of women. The results justify replication in a more heterogeneous group of Hispanics, with longer-term followup.