Knowledge and social engagement change in intention to be screened for colorectal cancer

ABSTRACT

Objective: Innovative technologies have been used to promote colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among the underserved. However, the impact of these innovative technologies on knowledge and social engagement likelihood as they relate to subsequent intention to be screened across different populations has not been fully explored.

Design: Using a pre–post-test design with an inflatable walk-through colon, we assessed changes in knowledge and social engagement likelihood across populations and their associations with intention to be screened in two community settings. One was a community setting in Washington State (WA); the other, a college campus in New Mexico (NM). Differential effects on knowledge and social engagement likelihood were examined across demographic groups (race/ethnicity, gender, age, education, insurance status, and geographic region). Finally, we assessed if changes in knowledge and social engagement likelihood were associated with CRC screening intention.

Results: NM males had greater gains in CRC knowledge than NM females; in WA, Hispanics, younger, less educated, and uninsured participants had greater gains in knowledge. NM females and younger WA participants were more likely to discuss CRC with their social networks than NM males and older WA participants. In WA, Hispanics and older adults reported greater intention to be screened for CRC. Change in social engagement likelihood, but not knowledge, was associated with intention to be screened.

Conclusions: The effectiveness of health promotion technologies on knowledge and social engagement may vary across different demographic characteristics. Further, the importance of social engagement likelihood in interacting with intention to be screened was substantiated.

KEYWORDS:

• Colorectal cancer
• CRC screening
• innovative intervention
• screening intention
• Hispanics
• American Indians/Alaska Natives

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the participants who agreed to participate in this study as well as our community partners who hosted the inflatable colon. We would also like to thank the community health educators, research assistants, and promotores who led tours through the inflatable colon. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NCI or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

ORCID

Katherine J. Briant http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4012-4326

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by National Cancer Institute (NCI) [grant number U54 CA132383-04S1], [grant number U54 CA132381], [grant number U54 CA153502], [grant number P30 CA015704-37S5], and [grant number R25CA92408]. Dr Molina was further supported by the University of Illinois Cancer Center as well as University of Illinois at Chicago’s Center for Research on Women and Gender and School of Public Health [grant number U54CA202995], [grant number U54CA202997], [grant number U54CA203000], and [K01CA193918].