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- Title
Knowledge and Perceptions of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Urban African Americans.
- Authors
Greiner, K. Allen; Born, Wendi; Nollen, Nicole; Ahluwalia, Jasjit S.
- Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To explore colorectal cancer (CRC) screening knowledge, attitudes, barriers, and preferences among urban African Americans as a prelude to the development of culturally appropriate interventions to improve screening for this group. DESIGN: Qualitative focus group study with assessment of CRC screening preferences. SETTING: Community health center serving low-income African Americans. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-five self-identified African Americans over 40 years of age. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Transcripts were analyzed using an iterative coding process with consensus and triangulation on final thematic findings. Six major themes were identified: (I) Hope a positive attitude toward screening, (2) Mistrust distrust that the system or providers put patients first, (3) Fear fear of cancer, the system, and of CRC screening procedures, (4) Fatalism the belief that screening and treatment may be futile and surgery causes spread of cancer, (5) Accuracy a preference for the most thorough and accurate test for CRC. and (6) Knowledge lack of CRC knowledge and a desire for more information. The Fear and Knowledge themes were most frequently noted in transcript theme counts. The Hope and Accuracy themes were crucial moderators of the influence of all bafflers. The largest number of participants preferred either colonoscopy (33%) or home fecal occult blood testing (26%). CONCLUSIONS: Low-income African Americans are optimistic and hopeful about early CRC detection and believe that thorough and accurate CRC screening is valuable. Lack of CRC knowledge and fear are major bafflers to screening for this population along with mistrust, and fatalism.
- Subjects
COLON cancer; MEDICAL screening; QUALITATIVE research; MINORITIES; FECAL occult blood tests; COLONOSCOPY; CANCER; AFRICAN Americans
- Publication
JGIM: Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2005, Vol 20, Issue 11, p977
- ISSN
0884-8734
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11606-005-0244-8