Predictors of colonoscopy use one year after colonoscopy: prospective study of surveillance behavior for colorectal cancer

We hypothesized that perceived risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC worry would be the main predictors of surveillance behavior in patients undergoing colonoscopy. We therefore assessed factors predicting colonoscopy use for re-examination one year after colonoscopy. Patients who had undergone colonoscopy and were scheduled for re-examination one year later were recruited. Patients were administered questionnaires after baseline colonoscopy assessing demographic factors, perceived risk, CRC worry, cancer preventability, knowledge of CRC and results of colonoscopy. We confirmed whether participants underwent colonoscopy re-examinations one year later (follow-up). Finally, 56 participants completed the research and were used in the final analysis (response rate = 65.1%). We found that 37.5% of the participants who underwent baseline colonoscopy underwent follow-up colonoscopy one year later. Follow-up colonoscopy was not significantly associated with any psychological variables, but was significantly associated with educational status (postsecondary) (odds ratio [OR] = 7.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.83–27.56) and the results of baseline colonoscopy in patients who did not undergo polypectomy but had remaining polyps (OR = 4.26, 95% CI = 1.02–17.84). Additionally, significant differences in cancer threat-related variables were observed among groups of patients who, during baseline colonoscopy, underwent polypectomy but had no remaining polyps, had polyps removed with some polyps remaining, or did not undergo polypectomy but had remaining polyps (p < .05), with the latter group having a significant relationship with repeat colonoscopy. Cancer threat-related variables were not predictive of repeat colonoscopy after one year. In contrast, patient educational status and the colonoscopy results were predictors. We also found a non-linear relationship between high CRC threat and inhibition of the screening behavior in that the CRC threat functions as motivation for the surveillance behavior of colonoscopy.