Has Surge in Media Attention Increased Awareness About Colorectal Cancer?
Has Surge in Media Attention Increased Awareness About Colorectal Cancer?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Screen for Life campaign in March 1999 followed by the creation of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March 2000 heralded a surge in media attention to promote awareness about CRC and stimulate interest in screening. Our objective was to assess whether these campaigns have achieved their goal of educating the public about CRC and screening. The study sample was comprised of mostly unscreened, average-risk, English-speaking patients aged 50-75 years seen in an urban primary care setting. Knowledge was assessed using a 12-item true/false questionnaire based primarily on the content of key messages endorsed by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (Cancer 95:1618-1628, 2002) and adopted in many of the media campaigns. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify demographic correlates of knowledge. A total of 356 subjects (83% <age 65, 58% female, 60% Black, 7% Hispanic, 60% ≤high school degree, 31% prior FOBT) were surveyed. Most respondents (≥67%) were aware of who gets CRC, age to initiate screening, the goals of screening and potential benefits. Fewer were aware that removing polyps can prevent CRC and that both polyps and CRC may be asymptomatic. Knowledge scores were lower among Blacks and those with a high school degree or less. Race and education were independent correlates of knowledge. These data suggest that recent media campaigns have been effective in increasing public awareness about CRC risk and screening but important gaps in knowledge remain.
Screening is a cost-effective strategy for decreasing CRC incidence and mortality. Despite widespread endorsement by authoritative groups, screening rates remain low. Data from the 2004 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey suggest that although screening rates have improved in recent years, 43% of Americans have not been screened within currently recommended time intervals. Lack of patient knowledge about the public health significance of CRC, relevant risk factors, the benefits of screening and specific screening tests have been identified as an important barrier to participation, particularly among minority and low income populations.
In an effort to increase public awareness about CRC and stimulate interest in screening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Care Financing Administration launched its multimedia Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign on March 2, 1999. The campaign incorporated several key messages based on an extensive review of existing literature, formative qualitative research involving more than 170 focus groups, and concept testing. Soon thereafter March was declared National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by presidential proclamation in 2000, which in turn prompted a surge in mass multimedia campaigns sponsored by various public heath departments, professional societies and advocacy groups, such as the American Cancer Society (ACS), to promote awareness about CRC risk and CRC screening. Many of these campaigns incorporated key messages employed in the Screen for Life campaign and later endorsed by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) in its national strategic plan. The NCCRT is a national coalition of more than 60 public, private and voluntary organizations co-founded by the CDC and ACS in 1997 to provide leadership, long-term planning and coordination of interventions for reducing CRC morbidity and mortality through education, early detection and prevention. By endorsing a core set of key messages, the NCCRT and its member organizations set forth to promote a coordinated and cohesive public education campaign aimed at dispelling widespread misconceptions about risk and stimulating interest in screening. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which these campaigns have achieved this goal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Screen for Life campaign in March 1999 followed by the creation of National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March 2000 heralded a surge in media attention to promote awareness about CRC and stimulate interest in screening. Our objective was to assess whether these campaigns have achieved their goal of educating the public about CRC and screening. The study sample was comprised of mostly unscreened, average-risk, English-speaking patients aged 50-75 years seen in an urban primary care setting. Knowledge was assessed using a 12-item true/false questionnaire based primarily on the content of key messages endorsed by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (Cancer 95:1618-1628, 2002) and adopted in many of the media campaigns. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify demographic correlates of knowledge. A total of 356 subjects (83% <age 65, 58% female, 60% Black, 7% Hispanic, 60% ≤high school degree, 31% prior FOBT) were surveyed. Most respondents (≥67%) were aware of who gets CRC, age to initiate screening, the goals of screening and potential benefits. Fewer were aware that removing polyps can prevent CRC and that both polyps and CRC may be asymptomatic. Knowledge scores were lower among Blacks and those with a high school degree or less. Race and education were independent correlates of knowledge. These data suggest that recent media campaigns have been effective in increasing public awareness about CRC risk and screening but important gaps in knowledge remain.
Screening is a cost-effective strategy for decreasing CRC incidence and mortality. Despite widespread endorsement by authoritative groups, screening rates remain low. Data from the 2004 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance Survey suggest that although screening rates have improved in recent years, 43% of Americans have not been screened within currently recommended time intervals. Lack of patient knowledge about the public health significance of CRC, relevant risk factors, the benefits of screening and specific screening tests have been identified as an important barrier to participation, particularly among minority and low income populations.
In an effort to increase public awareness about CRC and stimulate interest in screening, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Health Care Financing Administration launched its multimedia Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign on March 2, 1999. The campaign incorporated several key messages based on an extensive review of existing literature, formative qualitative research involving more than 170 focus groups, and concept testing. Soon thereafter March was declared National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by presidential proclamation in 2000, which in turn prompted a surge in mass multimedia campaigns sponsored by various public heath departments, professional societies and advocacy groups, such as the American Cancer Society (ACS), to promote awareness about CRC risk and CRC screening. Many of these campaigns incorporated key messages employed in the Screen for Life campaign and later endorsed by the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) in its national strategic plan. The NCCRT is a national coalition of more than 60 public, private and voluntary organizations co-founded by the CDC and ACS in 1997 to provide leadership, long-term planning and coordination of interventions for reducing CRC morbidity and mortality through education, early detection and prevention. By endorsing a core set of key messages, the NCCRT and its member organizations set forth to promote a coordinated and cohesive public education campaign aimed at dispelling widespread misconceptions about risk and stimulating interest in screening. The objective of this study was to assess the extent to which these campaigns have achieved this goal.
