[A population survey on mass screening program for gastric cancer. Part 2. Why don't they receive mass screening...

The attitude of non-examined residents to a mass screening program for gastric cancer has been surveyed by a self-administered questionnaire among 3660 residents in a small town near Kitakyushu City. Among 1159 subjects who had not received any type of examination during the past 3 years, the answers of 638 subjects who completed the questionnaire were analyzed in this study. Reasons for not being examined were classified into 4 types; "unnecessary", "rejected", "inconvenient" and "others". The most frequent reason for not taking part in the screening program was "inconvenient" which means that there were some difficulties for them to participate in the program even if they wanted to. This reason was followed by "unnecessary" and "rejected". "Inconvenient" was the main reason for not being examined among people in their forties and fifties and/or among those who have jobs. Among elderly people, "unnecessary" had the highest frequency. "Rejected" was the least important reason in all age groups. In each age group "rejected" was found more frequently among females than males. As the type of reason for not being examined was different among groups, it is essential to work out different countermeasures for each group in order to raise the participating rate.