Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2024

Factors associated with bowel cancer screening participation of First Nations peoples accessing home care services in New South Wales, Australia (#274)

Tsegaw Amare Baykeda 1 , Shafkat Jahan 1 , Kirsten Howard 2 , Rakhee Raghunandan 2 , Joan Cunningham 3 , David Currow 4 , Veronica Matthews 5 , Ian Olver 6 , Rebecca Ivers 7 , Gillian Harvey 8 , Tamara Butler 1 , Nisreen Aouira 1 , Amanda Hunter 9 , Sheree Bennett 9 , Gail Garvey 1
  1. First Nations Cancer and Wellbieng Research Program, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
  2. Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  3. Menzies School of Health Research, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
  4. University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
  5. Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  6. Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences , The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
  7. School of Population Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  8. College of Nursing and Health Sciences, , Flinders University, Adelaide, New South Wales, Australia
  9. Australian Unity, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Background: Australia has been implementing the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP) for the past two decades to reduce deaths from bowel cancer by detecting the disease early. However, First Nations Australians' participation rates have been lower than their non-First Nations counterparts and factors influencing bowel screening participation among First Nations Australians are poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the factors associated with bowel cancer screening participation among First Nations people accessing home care services in New South Wales, Australia.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was administered by First Nation workers to First Nations clients of Australian Unity in New South Wales from June to September 2023. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with bowel cancer screening participation. Adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CIs) was reported for significantly associated factors at p<0.05.

Results: Out of 333 study participants, 72.07% (95% CI: 66.99-76.64) had ever participated in bowel screening. For every one-year increase in age, the odds of participating in bowel screening increased by 1.08 times (95% CI: 1.03-1.30). Males were 59% less likely to participate in bowel screening compared to females (95% CI: 0.21-0.80). The odds of participating in bowel screening were 9.64 (95% CI: 4.91-18.93) and 2.28 (95% CI: 1.16-4.50) times among those who had ever been informed about bowel screening and those who had been given a bowel screening kit to do the test, respectively.

Conclusion: Whilst it is encouraging that approximately three-quarters of First Nations Australians have ever participated in bowel cancer screening, we can go further to reach more than a quarter of eligible First Nations who have never participated in bowel screening. This could be done by their doctors providing information on bowel cancer screening followed by giving a bowel screening kit to do the screening.