Colorectal Cancer Screening Participation and Health Belief Levels of Public Hospital Patients in Türkiye

Colorectal cancer can be diagnosed early with screening tests; therefore, patients' beliefs regarding colorectal cancer screening are closely related to clinical and pathological disease stages at the time of diagnosis. This study aimed to determine participation in colorectal cancer screening programs and health beliefs related to protection from colorectal cancer among patients aged 40-70 years and evaluate factors affecting their participation in such screening programs. This descriptive study was conducted in a state hospital in Türkiye between May 2021 and December 2021 with the participation of 1,016 patients. Study data were collected through face-to-face interviews using a questionnaire consisting of an "Introductory Information Form" and the "Health Belief Model Scale for Prevention of Colorectal Cancer." Signed voluntary consent was obtained from all participants, as well as ethics committee approval and institutional permission from the hospital. The mean age of the participants was 50.12 ± 9.29 years, 54% were 40-50 years old, 55.5% were female, 87.3% were married, 6.8% had a primary education or below, and 39.3% were employed. The internal consistency was low for the health motivation subscale and relatively high for other subscales of the Health Belief Model Scale for Prevention of Colorectal Cancer.