Identifying modifiable features of home bowel cancer screening kits to facilitate use: consumer perspectives

Belinda Goodwin; Bianca Viljoen; Larry Myers; Michael Ireland; Jeff Dunn; Suzanne Chambers; Nicholas Ralph; Joanne Aitken

doi:10.1071/phrp32122203

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

Identifying modifiable features of home bowel cancer screening kits to facilitate use: consumer perspectives

Belinda Goodwin ^A ^* , Bianca Viljoen ^B ^C , Larry Myers ^D ^E , Michael Ireland ^D ^E , Jeff Dunn ^B ^D ^F ^G ^H , Suzanne Chambers ^D ^F ^G ^I , Nicholas Ralph ^D ^C and Joanne Aitken ^B ^D ^J ^K

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Cancer Council Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Centre for Health Research, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, Australia

^B Cancer Council Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

^C School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia

^D Centre for Health Research, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, Australia

^E School of Psychology and Wellbeing, University of Southern Queensland, Springfield, Australia

^F Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, NSW, Australia

^G Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

^H Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia

^I Exercise Medicine Research Institute, Edith Cowan University, Perth, WA, Australia

^J School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

^K School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

^* Correspondence to: belindagoodwin@cancerqld.org.au

Public Health Research and Practice 32, e32122203 https://doi.org/10.17061/phrp32122203

Published: 13 December 2022

2022 © Goodwin et al. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International Licence, which allows others to redistribute, adapt and share this work non-commercially provided they attribute the work and any adapted version of it is distributed under the same Creative Commons licence terms.

Abstract

Objectives: Despite the widely publicised health benefits of participation in bowel cancer screening, only 43.5% of recipients participate in the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program (NBCSP). Through consultation with kit recipients, this study aimed to identify features of home bowel screening kits that could be modified to increase their use. Method: Participants (n = 25) were presented with nine different bowel cancer screening kits and asked to identify features of each kit that might prevent or promote their use. Responses were coded using content analysis, and a narrative synthesis is presented summarising preferences relating to each element of the kit. Results: Six modifiable elements were identified: collection tool, collection sheet, specimen container, instruction, packaging and processes. Participant preferences were for collection devices that limited the users’ proximity to faecal matter, smaller packaging, simpler processes and step-by-step pictorial instructions. Responses regarding aesthetics, the amount of information included and receiving immediate results were mixed. Conclusions: Findings provide several consumer-driven recommendations, which are to be tested in future research aimed at improving the acceptability and usability of kits distributed in population bowel cancer screening programs.