Survey
Originally, 2480 names were obtained from the 12 church rosters located in five rural counties in North Carolina. Many members were ineligible (not 18 years old, deceased, no longer living in the state, medically incapable, phone number no longer working) or we were unable to contact them by telephone, and 239 members who declined to participate in the WATCH Project. There were 850 church members who participated in the WATCH Project and completed the baseline survey. The adjusted response rate was 66% using a calculation method, suggested by the Council of American Survey Organizations (CASRO) [
21], that accounted for individuals whose eligibility and response status were unknown because program staff were never able to contact them.
The participants in this study were the 397 church members who participated in the WATCH Project and were 50 years and older. The characteristics of the 397 participants are shown in Table
3. Participants were mostly female (74%) and African American (98%). The mean age was 63 years (SD = 9.7). About half of the sample was currently married, 25% were widowed, and 14% were divorced. Thirty-seven percent had less than a high school education, 30% had a high school diploma or GED, 16% had some college or trade/beauty school, and 18% had a college degree or post-college education. Household income was answered by only 52% of the participants, and of the responders, 51% reported an income of less than $20,000.
Table 3
Communication and the characteristics of the participants ≥ 50 years old*
Sex
| | | | | |
Male | 103(25.9) | 71(23.8) | 14(28.0) | 18 (42.9) | F(2, 387) = 3.503 |
Female | 293(73.8) | 227(76.2) | 36(72.0) | 24 (57.1) |
p = .031
|
Education
| | | | | |
Less than HS | 145(36.5) | 103(34.6) | 21(41.2) | 18 (42.9) | F(2, 388) = 0.409 |
HS/ GED | 117(29.5) | 91 (30.5) | 14(27.5) | 9 (21.4) | p = .665 |
Trade School/ College | 135(34.0) | 104(34.9) | 16(31.4) | 15 (35.7) | |
Income
| | | | | |
<$20,000 | 184(51.0) | 132(48.4) | 26(57.8) | 23 (59.0) | F(2, 354) = 1.134 |
$20,000–$49,999 | 128(35.5) | 102(37.4) | 12(26.7) | 13 (33.3) | p = .323 |
≥ $50,000 | 49 (13.6) | 39 (14.3) | 7 (15.6) | 3 (7.7) | |
Marital Status
| | | | | |
Married | 213(53.8) | 164(55.2) | 22(43.1) | 24 (57.1) | F(2, 387) = 1.350 p=.261 |
Divorced/ Widowed/ Separated | 162(40.9) | 116(39.1) | 26 (51.0) | 18 (42.9) | |
Never married | 21 (5.3) | 17 (5.7) | 3 (5.9) | ----- | |
Healthcare Facility***
| | | | | |
Doctor's office | 325(82.7) | 250(85.0) | 40(78.4) | 29 (69.0) | F(2, 384) = 3.605 |
Clinic/ER/Health Dept. | 68 (17.3) | 44 (15.0) | 11(21.6) | 13 (31.0) |
p = .028
|
Insurance****
| | | | | |
Medicaid/Medicare | 176(44.3) | 137(46.0) | 19 (37.3) | 19 (45.2) | F(2, 388) = 0.669 p = .513 |
No health insurance | 21 (5.3) | 14 (4.7) | 4 (7.8) | 3 (7.1) | F(2, 388) = 0.566 p = .568 |
Employer/self-paid | 219(55.2) | 167(56.0) | 29 (56.9) | 18 (42.9) | F(2, 388) = 1.344 p = .262 |
Factor analysis of the five communication items was performed from the baseline survey responses and two factors were identified; one with three items and the other with two items. The second factor was dropped because it had only two items and did not add reliability to the scale. The three communication items about shared decision-making and patient satisfaction demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.74) and were summed to calculate a communication score. The communication score was used to categorize the participants into three groups: good, fair, and poor communication with providers. Participants were categorized as having "good" communication if they perceived receiving enough information from their provider, being involved in medical decisions, and thinking that their provider understood their health needs almost all the time or always. Participants who rated all three items 'sometimes', 'rarely', or 'never' scored "poor" on the communication scale, and individuals who rated the items with a mix of the above listed responses were assigned to the "fair" group.
In terms of quality of communication, 75% (298/397) responded positively to all 3 questions and were considered have "good" communication; 10% (42/397) responded positively to none of the 3 questions and were considered to have "poor" communication; and 13% (50/397) had fair results. Participants in the good communication group were more likely to be female (p = 0.031), and were more likely to receive their healthcare at a doctor's office versus a clinic/emergency room/health department (p = 0.028). None of the other sociodemographic factors listed in Table
3 appeared to vary significantly among communication groups. Participants categorized in the good communication group were more likely to report having been screened for CRC in the recommended time period compared to those in the poor communication group (35.9% vs. 16.7%; OR = 2.8, CI 1.2, 6.4, p = 0.013).
Only 45% (175/389) of the participants reported that their providers had recommended CRC screening, and just 31% (120/389) of all participants reported being screened within the recommended time interval. Of the individuals who reported being screened, 65% (78/120) stated that their doctor had recommended CRC screening, compared with 36% (97/269) of those who did not report screening.
Knowledge of CRC was assessed using seven items (Table
4) with a mean correct response of 3.8. If the participants answered at least four out of the seven items correctly, they were categorized as having adequate knowledge about colorectal cancer. The participants were considered to have inadequate CRC knowledge if they answered incorrectly or 'don't know' to ≥ 4 of the 7 items.
Table 4
Knowledge of colorectal cancer risk factors among 397 African American participants (≥50 years old) in the WATCH Project
1. A low fat and high fiber diet helps decrease colorectal cancer risk. | True | 70.8% |
2. The risk of colorectal cancer is higher in men than women. | False | 13.6% |
3. Physical activity decreases the risk for colorectal cancer. | True | 42.6% |
4. Colorectal cancer risk increases after age 50. | True | 69.3% |
5. A family history of colorectal cancer does not increase your risk. | False | 49.1% |
6. Finding cancer early will not increase the chances of surviving it. | False | 65.7% |
7. You only need to have a colorectal cancer screening test if you are having symptoms. | False | 67.5% |
Knowledge about CRC was considered adequate (knowledge score > = 4) for 57% (228/397) and inadequate for 43% (197/397). Participants with adequate CRC knowledge were more likely to have completed a CRC screening test within the recommended time period compared to those with inadequate CRC knowledge (21% vs. 10%). Adequate knowledge was associated with a higher level of education (p < 0.001), a higher level of income (p < 0.001), having health insurance (p < 0.001), and having Medicare/ Medicaid as one's health insurance (p < 0.001).
Multivariate analyses
Results of the logistic regression analyses are shown in Table
5. Results were similar when using communication and CRC risk knowledge as continuous exposure variables, and when using a history of CRC screening anytime in the past as the outcome variable (instead of recent screening). For ease of interpretation, we chose to present the categorical analyses and use recent screening as the outcome of interest. After adjustment for the sex of the participant and source of healthcare, quality of communication remained significantly associated with completion of a CRC test.
Table 5
Factors associated with receiving CRC screening among 397 African American participants in the WATCH Project
Sex | .65 (0.39, 1.07) | 0.093 |
Source of healthcare (M.D. office vs. Clinic/ER) | 1.07 (0.58, 1.95) | 0.838 |
CRC Knowledge (Adequate vs. Inadequate) | 1.82 (1.14, 2.89) | 0.011 |
Patient-provider communication (Good vs. Poor/Fair) | 1.95 (1.29, 2.94) | 0.002 |
CRC screening within recommended guidelines by perceived communication and knowledge is listed in Table
6. The poor and fair communication groups were combined because of the small numbers within each category. Adequate knowledge is statistically significant for the good communication group but not for the fair/poor communication group. A test for interaction of communication and knowledge was performed for CRC within recommended guidelines and demonstrated no significant interaction.
Table 6
CRC screening results by communication and knowledge
Poor and Fair communication | | |
Inadequate knowledge | 15.0 | |
(n = 40) | | p = 0.654 |
Adequate knowledge | 18.5 | |
(n = 54) | | |
Good communication | | |
Inadequate knowledge | 27.4 | |
(n = 124) | | p = 0.012 |
Adequate knowledge | 41.6 | |
(n = 173) | | |