By Dr Róisín McCarthy, Research Officer, National Screening Service
We’ve examined the findings of new research to identify the reasons why some people may or may not take part in bowel screening. 393 adults aged 60-69 years (180 men and 213 women) responded to the online survey aimed at understanding knowledge and awareness of bowel screening and bowel cancer.
Knowledge about bowel screening
Overall, nearly half of females (49%) and males (49%) know a lot or have quite a good understanding about bowel screening.
Motivators
- Overall, 6 in 10 survey respondents (59%) believed that providing health-related peace of mind was a main motivator to attend bowel screening. This was higher among females (63%) than males (55%).
- Over half of females (53%) and males (51%) said receiving an invitation from BowelScreen was a motivator to take part in bowel screening.
- Men (46%) were more likely than women (29%) to take part in bowel screening after receiving advice from their GP or other healthcare professional.
Barriers
- Almost half (46%) of survey respondents believed that a fear of finding something wrong was the main barrier to taking part in bowel screening. This was higher among women (49%) than men (43%).
- Men (32%) were more likely than women (19%) to believe that not knowing how to access bowel screening impacted on taking part in bowel screening.
- Overall, 22% felt not knowing if you are eligible for screening was another barrier to taking part. This was higher among men (26%) than women (18%).
Perceived limitations of bowel screening
Survey participants were asked what the limitations of bowel screening are, to the best of their knowledge.
- 75% of females and 59% of males perceived limitations to be growths and cancer that can develop between screening appointments.
- 59% of females and 57% of males perceived limitations of bowel screening to mean that screening is not 100% accurate - that it may miss something.
Information about bowel screening
Survey participants were asked if they needed more information about bowel screening and on what topics.
- Overall, survey respondents felt that they needed more information on what symptoms to look out for between screenings, how to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and on the limitations of screening.
- A higher proportion of males felt that they needed more information on the likelihood of needing a follow-up test/colonoscopy, reasons why you should avail of bowel screening and the benefits of bowel screening.
Next steps
We’ll continue to review and adapt how we communicate information about bowel screening to different groups within the eligible population. Our continued work with stakeholders to ensure that the information provided about screening addresses the needs of the eligible screening population is important to provide more opportunities for men and women to choose screening.
- This research was presented by Dr Róisín McCarthy, Research Officer, National Screening Service at the SPHeRE network 10th annual conference in Dublin on 29 February 2024.
- The research was carried out in June 2023 by Empathy Research, on behalf of the National Screening Service. Survey response data were collated and analysed using Chi-squared test.
- At the time of the research, the age range for BowelScreen was 60 to 69 years. In October 2023 we lowered the age range to include everyone age 59.
- BowelScreen is for men and women aged 59 to 69 who have no symptoms of bowel cancer.
- Register for BowelScreen online, by freephone 1800 45 45 55 or email info@bowelscreen.ie
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