Factors associated with cancer screening intention in eligible persons for National Cancer Screening Program

Abstract

Objectives: To identify factors associated with cancer screening intention using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Methods: Among 55,920 eligible persons for National Cancer Screening Program (NCSP) in J city, 1,100 individuals were contacted. Of these, 797 were interviewed using a structured questionnaire. Thirty-six responses were excluded due to incomplete data. The remaining 761 completed questionnaires were analyzed to find factors associated with cancer screening intention. Results: Cancer screening intention was significantly associated with behavioral attitude (p<0.01) and subjective norm (p<0.01), but not with perceived behavioral control (p=0.29) in the TPB model. These three constructs explained 29.7% of cancer screening intention in multiple linear regression analysis. External factors such as socio-demographic status, health and health behavior variables explained 8.9% of screening intention. Among them, household monthly income, past cancer screening experience, exercise and daily eating habit were significantly associated with screening intention. Conclusions: Cancer screening intention may be influenced by focusing attitude, subjective norm in TPB model and other external factors. However, further studies are warranted to identify factors influencing cancer screening intention and behavior.