• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.289-297
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• 2020

This study was to explore factors determining school-based student health screening participation. Participants were six health coordinators in West Virginia, the United States. They have responsibilities in the student health screening and conducted a phone interview. The results are as follows. First, opt-in of health screening came from the interest in students' health, peer pressure, and free screening. Second, opt-out of health screening came from the indifference to a school newsletter, anxiety about an information disclosure, and the fear of drawing blood. Third, the advantage of health screening was provided for free. Fourth, the primary decision-maker was parents, but sometimes was children. Fifth, non-family members also influenced on the participation in the health screening. Therefore, a school newsletter, parents and teachers education, and free screening may be required to improve the participation rate.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.617-624
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• 2004

Purpose. Korean American women have twice the rate of cervical cancer than white women and demonstrate low rates in participation in cervical cancer screening. This study was to describe the perceptions about cervical cancer and factors related to cervical cancer screening among Korean American women. Method. Focus group methods. Results. Five themes emerged. First, knowledge about cervical cancer; misconceptions about cervical cancer, its causes, reproductive anatomy and the treatment Second, perceived meanings of having cervical cancer; most of the women felt that cervical cancer represented a loss of femininity and existential value of woman-hood. Third, knowledge about cervical cancer screening; regular medical check-ups were necessary for early detection and prevention of cervical cancer. Forth, experiences and perceived meanings of cervical cancer screening; the participants expressed their feelings; embarrassment, fear, shame and shyness. Fifth, practices of cervical cancer screening; various intervals in participating in cervical cancer screening. But they mentioned several deterrents, language, insurance, time constraint, embarrassment, fear of the screening results, misbelief about susceptibility, lack of health prevention behavior, and lack of information written in Korean. Conclusion: Results emphasize the critical need for culturally appropriate health education to encourage participation of Korean American women in cervical cancer screening.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6445-6450
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• 2013

Background: Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among women worldwide. Failure to prevent cervical cancer is partly due to non-participation in regular screening. It is important to plan and develop screening programs directed towards underscreened women. In order to identify the factors associated with underscreening for cervical cancer among women, this study examined Pap test participation and factors associated with not having a time-appropriate (within 3 years) Pap test among a representative sample of women in Ontario, Canada using Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) data. Materials and Methods: Univariate analyses, cross-tabulations, and logistic regression modeling were conducted using cross-sectional data from the 2007-2008 CCHS. Analyses were restricted to 13,549 sexually active women aged 18-69 years old living in Ontario, with no history of hysterectomy. Results: Almost 17% of women reported they had not had a time-appropriate Pap test. Not having a time-appropriate Pap test was associated with being 40-69 years old, single, having low education and income, not having a regular doctor, being of Asian (Chinese, South Asian, other Asian) cultural background, less than excellent health, and being a recent immigrant. Conclusions: Results indicate that disparities still exist in terms of who is participating in cervical cancer screening. It is crucial to develop and implement cervical cancer screening programs that not only target the general population, but also those who are less likely to obtain a Pap tests.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.4555-4561
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• 2015

Background: Mammography screening is a method for reducing breast cancer mortality in women over 40 years old. A participation rate of at least 70% is a prerequisite for screening programs. This study aimed at determining the participation rate of women in breast cancer screening in Iran. Materials and Methods: The study population in this prospective research consisted of 35 to 69 years old women in the villages and towns Kerman District, in 2013. The data were collected by a well-validated risk assessment questionnaire. The questionnaires were completed with the help of health workers and technicians in the health centers, who were trained on breast cancer screening program. Results: As a whole, 19,651 women were invited to complete the questionnaire, of whom 15,794 women (80.37%) completed it. In the urban region, of 3150 eligible women 2728 women (86.60%) participated in the study. The acceptance rates for mammography in rural and urban regions were 34.95% and 8.75%, respectively. Conclusions: Finally, 3.8% and 16.34% of 35 to 69 years old women in the urban regions were mammographed, respectively. Conclusion: The low participation of eligible women in breast cancer screening program alerts us against including the program in the health insurance package.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.23
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• pp.10157-10164
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• 2015

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the State of Qatar. Due to low participation in breast cancer screening (BCS) activities, women in Qatar are often diagnosed with breast cancer at advanced stages of the disease. Findings indicate that low participation rates in BCS activities are significantly related to women's low level of awareness of breast cancer screening. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine the factors that influence Qatari women's awareness of breast cancer and its screening activities: and (2) to find ways to effectively promote breast cancer screening activities among Arabic speaking women in Qatar. Materials and Methods: A multicenter, cross-sectional quantitative survey of 1,063 (87.5% response rate) female Qatari citizens and non-Qatari Arabic-speaking residents, 35 years of age or older, was conducted in Qatar from March 2011 to July 2011. Outcome measures included participant awareness levels of the most recent national recommended guidelines of BCS, participation rates in BCS activities, and factors related to awareness of BCS activities. Results: While most participants (90.7%) were aware of breast cancer, less than half had awareness of BCS practices (28.9% were aware of breast self-examination and 41.8% of clinical breast exams, while 26.4% knew that mammography was recommended by national screening guidelines. Only 7.6% had knowledge of all three BCS activities). Regarding BCS practice, less than one-third practiced BCS appropriately (13.9% of participants performed breast self-examination (BSE) monthly, 31.3% had a clinical breast exam (CBE) once a year or once every two years, and 26.9% of women 40 years of age or older had a mammogram once every year or two years). Awareness of BCS was significantly related to BCS practice, education level, and receipt of information about breast cancer and/or BCS from a variety of sources, particularly doctors and the media. Conclusions: The low levels of participation rates in BCS among Arab women in this study indicate a strong need to increase awareness of the importance of breast cancer screening in Qatari women. Without this awareness, compliance with the most recent breast cancer screening recommendations in Qatar will remain low. An increased effort to implement mass media and public health campaigns regarding the impact of breast cancer on women's health and the benefits of early detection of breast cancer must be coupled with an enhanced participation of health care providers in delivering this message to Qatar population.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.41-60
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• 2003

This study, performed to analyze the factors associated with health and cancer screening using preventive programs form health insurance among the women of a community, through a survey of about 923 women in Euijungbu-city. The subjects of the study were selected by a proportional cluster sampling method. The self-reported questionnaire was intended to fine factors associated with health screening and cancer screening. The results of this study were as follows: 1. In the case of health screening using health insurance, 14.1% of the subjects turned out to have been screened once or more in their respective life-time. Reasons given for non-participation in the screening were : 'lacking screening information', a belief that' it's not useful' and a belief that they' weren't sick'. 2. The factors associated with health screening behavior were age, educational level, number of doctor visits, BMI and health promotion behavior(p<0.01, p<0.05). Also, the factors associated with health screening behavior were cue to action and health status, and the predictors on health screening behavior were age and health promotion behavior(p<0.01, p<0.05). 3. In the case of cancer screening through the health insurance, 7.4% of the subjects turned out to have been screened once or more respectively in their life-times. Reasons given for non-participation in the screening were : 'lacking screening information', a belief they 'weren't sick' and that it's not useful'. 4. The factors associated with cancer screening behavior were age, educational level, income, alcholol intake, exercise, number of doctor visits and BMI(p<0.01, p<0.05). Aditional factors associated with cancer screening behavior were cue to action, health belief score and health status. Predictors for cancer screening behavior were: age, health belief score, screening attitude and health status(p<0.01, p<0.05). As indicated by the above results, a lack of information was an important factor for a lack of participation in screening. Age and cue to action were also important factors in promoting the cancer screening rate. Therefore, a dissemination of information about cancer screening contributes to the promotion of a screening rate, and cooperation between health insurance and local health cancer facilitates to be public the community-based cancer screening program.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.sup3
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• pp.143-147
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• 2016

Breast and cervical cancers are among leading causes of morbidity and mortality in women worldwide. Regular screening is very important for early detection of these cancers, but studies indicate low rates of screening participation. In this survey we studied the rate of screening participation among women 18-64 years old referred to urban health centers in Kerman, Iran in 2015. A cross-sectional study was carried out on 240 women who were selected using a multistage sampling method. Data collected using a questionnaire covered demographics and questions about common cancer screening status in women. Analysis was by SPSS 19. The mean age of participants was $31.7{\pm}7$. Most (97.1%) were married, housewives (83.3%), had high school diploma (43.8%) and a monthly income more than ten million Rls. The frequency of the Pap test performance was higher in women who were employed and with a university degree (p<0.05). The frequency of mammography performance in women over 40 years was also higher in women with university degree (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of pelvic examination, and self and clinical breast examinations based on education, household income and employment (p>0.05). Our study found that the rate of screening participation among women is low. Investigation of the barriers, increasing the awareness of women about the importance and advantages of screening and also more incentives for health personnel especially family physicians to pay more attention to preventive programs could be effective.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.861-866
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• 2012

This study assessed the effectiveness of three intervention strategies to improve the participation rate of gastric cancer screening among people who had never undergone such screening, and those who had been screened for the disease, but not recently. It was conducted in the Ilsandong-gu District of Goyang City, Korea. The population for the current study was restricted to male residents, aged 40-65 years, who received an invitation letter to undergo gastric cancer screening from the National Health Insurance (NHI) Corporation at the beginning of 2010. The subjects were divided into two categories according to their screening history: never-screened, and ever-screened. A total of 2,065 men were eligible: 803 never-screened and 1,262 ever-screened. In each screening category they were randomly assigned to one of three intervention groups: 1) tailored telephone counseling; 2) tailored postcard reminder after tailored telephone counseling;and 3) tailored telephone counseling after tailored postcard reminder. At 3 months post-intervention, never-screened men with any intervention were more likely to undergo gastric cancer screening (OR=2.75, 95% CI: 1.22-6.18) compared to those in the reference group (no intervention). However, there was no statistically significant intervention effect in ever-screened men (OR=1.21, 95% CI: 0.65-2.27). Examination of the intervention effects by intervention group among never-screened men showed that those in the postcard reminder after telephone counseling group to be statistically significantly more likely to undergo gastric cancer screening (OR=4.49, 95% CI: 1.79-11.29) than the reference group (no intervention). Our results highlight that use of tailored postcard reminders after tailored telephone counseling is an effective method to increase participation in gastric cancer screening among men who had never been screened.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.589-594
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• 2014

Few studies have examined reasons why those with low socioeconomic status do not adequately receive cancer screening. We therefore conducted a qualitative study to assess the barriers to cancer screening in people with low socioeconomic status, and to examine the reasons why Medical Aid Program (MAP) recipients do not participate in the National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP). A focus group methodology was used. Participants included MAP recipients (men aged 45-79 years, women aged 35-79 years) who had been invited to cancer screening at least twice based on the NCSP protocol, but had not been screened for any cancer from 2009-2012. We recruited participants living in the cities of Goyang and Paju. A total of 23 MAP recipients participated in four focus group discussions, including 12 men and 11 women. In this qualitative study, we identified six barriers to screening: lack of trust in the NCSP and cancer screening units; fear of being diagnosed with cancer; discomfort or pain from the screening procedure; lack of time, lack of knowledge about cancer screening or lack of awareness of the existence of the NCSP; physical disability or underlying disease; and logistic barriers. Interventions such as individualized counseling, letters and reminders, or other individually-targeted strategies, especially for those with lower socioeconomic status are required to increase participation and reduce disparities in cancer screening.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.21
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• pp.9147-9151
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• 2014

Public health centers in Korea play an important role at the community level in encouraging residents to participate in cancer screening, usually by sending reminders in the mail and by making phone calls. However, there have not been any studies on the effectiveness of these interventions by public health centers in Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this question. The study was limited to male subjects aged 50-59 years living in one district of Daegu, Korea. A total of 923 subjects were selected for the study among the target population for gastric and colorectal cancer screening as part of the National Cancer Screening Program in 2012. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of four groups: control, postal intervention, telephone intervention, and telephone and postal intervention. Three months after the interventions, the results were confirmed by the National Health Insurance Corporation. Logistic regression analyses were performed to find differences in participation rates in cancer screening for each group. Men who received telephone and postal intervention were most likely (40.5%) to undergo gastric cancer screening, in comparison to the men who received telephone intervention only (31.7%), postal intervention only (22.2%) and those in the control group (17.9%). Also, men who received telephone and postal intervention were most likely (27.8%) to participate in colorectal cancer screening, followed by the men who received telephone intervention only (24.3%), postal intervention only (16.5%), and men in the control group (13.5%). Combined telephone and postal intervention and telephone only intervention as well produced significantly increased rates of participation in cancer screening in comparison to the control group. There was no significant difference, however, between the postal intervention only and control groups for either colorectal or gastric cancer screening.