Awareness of Colorectal Cancer Screening amongst Residents of Mt. Elgon Sub County, Bungoma County, Kenya

Abstract

Globally, Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of mortality with preponderance to low and middle-income countries (LMICs). Awareness of CRC screening remains suboptimal in LMICs. There is lack of empirical studies in Kenya, particularly in Mt Elgon Sub County that have documented the awareness of CRC screening. This study therefore assessed the awareness of CRC screening among residents of Mt Elgon Sub County, Kenya. The cross-sectional study utilized both quantitative and qualitative approaches to assess the awareness of CRC screening.†From a population of 22,372 adults aged 45-75 years eligible for CRC screening in line with the Kenya Ministry of Health (MoH) CRC screening guidelines, 440 participants were sampled using Taro Yamane’s Equation a statistical formula used to determine sample size when the target population is known. Quantitative data was collected using a pretested researcher administered questionnaire while qualitative data was collected through Key Informants Interviews and Focus Group Discussions. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 25, while qualitative data was thematically summarized and analyzed using the NVivo application. Out of the 440 sampled participants, some 402 participated in the study depicting a response rate of 91.4%. The study found that only 19 participants (4.7%) were aware of CRC screening, indicating a significant gap in public health knowledge of CRC screening. Chi-square analysis reported that there was no statistically significant association between socioeconomic and sociodemographic factors and CRC screening awareness. Th respondents in the qualitative survey similarly reported that awareness of CRC screening was low among the residents of Mt Elgon Sub County. These findings therefore underscore the need for targeted public health interventions to enhance CRC screening awareness at the global, national, and county levels.