An evaluation of the Waitemata District Health Board Bowel Screening Pilot is being undertaken to help inform a decision on whether it is feasible to roll out a national bowel screening programme.
Telephone surveys were conducted to measure awareness, knowledge and attitudes about bowel cancer and the bowel screening pilot.Baseline surveys were conducted in November-–December 2011; one with 50–74 year olds (the eligible screening population) living within the Waitemata DHB area and one with 50–74 year olds living outside the Waitemata DHB area.
This report presents findings from a follow-up survey of Waitemata DHB residents, undertaken in October 2013.The purpose of this follow-up survey is to identify changes in awareness, attitudes, knowledge and involvement with the pilot over time, within the Waitemata DHB area.
Purpose
The overall purpose of the surveys is to measure the eligible population’s awareness, knowledge and attitudes towards bowel cancer and the BSP, both within the WDHB and nationally. The 2011 WDHB survey was designed to collect a baseline assessment of awareness and knowledge of bowel cancer and the BSP. This survey was conducted before promotions of the BSP became widespread. The purpose of the 2013 WDHB follow-up survey is to enable changes in awareness, attitudes and knowledge to be identified over time within the BSP area, following the first 18 months of the BSP’s operation.
All of the surveys play an important role in informing decisions for a possible national roll-out of a bowel screening programme. Record linkage of survey data with the BSP Programme Register (the Register) will enable the investigation of correlations between screening uptake and outcomes, and participants’ attitudes and self-reported risk factors. This, in turn, will enhance the accuracy of the national projections.
Pre- and post-survey measures of the WDHB eligible population enable the exploration of the hypotheses that increased awareness, knowledge and positive perceptions will impact on completion of the immunochemical faecal occult blood test (iFOBT). For the National population survey, only a baseline measure was taken. Section 2.6 of the BSP Evaluation Plan4 documents the implications of not conducting a follow-up national population survey.
Methodology
The baseline WDHB and national survey were conducted in late 2011, before promotion of the BSP became widespread. The follow-up survey of WDHB residents was conducted in late 2013, almost two years following the full launch of the BSP in that area. Questionnaires for all three of the surveys were developed incorporating advice from a range of experts. They were also extensively pretested and piloted with members of the public (living outside WDHB). The 2013 WDHB follow-up survey is largely similar to the 2011 survey, to ensure consistency in measurement over time.
All of the surveys were administered using computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). The 2013 survey of WDHB residents was conducted over a three-week period in October 2013. The two 2011 surveys were conducted over a three-week period in November-–December 2011.
As with the 2011 survey, a main sample of 500 respondents was interviewed, plus a booster sample of 200 respondents (100 Māori and 100 Pacific). Each of the main and booster samples comprised a mix of randomly selected respondents (from the White Pages) and a sample recontacted from the 2011 WDHB survey (who agreed to be recontacted and for whom a name and phone number were available). Survey weights were applied to the data to ensure population sub-groups are represented in the correct proportions in the survey results.