Knowledge, Attitudes, Preventive Practices and Screening Intention about Colorectal Cancer and the Related Factors among Residents in Guangzhou, China

BACKGROUND: In Guangzhou, China, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer. The government initiated a CRC screening program in 2015, and investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward CRC would help facilitate the participation of the program. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 2014 to September 2015. Questionnaires were passed out with a cluster sample in 15 randomly selected primary schools of Guangzhou China, and one of each student’s family members aged between 20 to 65 years old were included. RESULTS: A total of 6839 questionnaires were obtained and the successful response rate was 78.5%. The majority (88.3%) of them were under 46 years old and female subjects accounted for 65.8%. Over 80% of the respondents knew that CRC was able to be cured by early diagnosis and treatment and that tobacco use, alcohol abuse, and dietary without enough fruits or vegetables may increase the risk of CRC, although a few knowledge scores were relatively low, such as physical exercise as a protective factor and bowel habits change as a symptom suggestive of CRC. In contrast, only 52.2% of the subjects were sure to participate in a future CRC screening provided by local government. We further found that the higher level of knowledge about CRC risk and positive cancer preventive attitude and practice were associated with higher education level, female gender, and positive family history. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the priority may be laid on improving the conversion from knowledge to practice to implement screening program in Guangzhou, while efforts should also be made to improve public awareness about CRC.