Factors related to participation in colorectal cancer screening in a Southern European region: a prevalence survey.

The colorectal cancer screening programme was fully implemented in the Community of Madrid in 2019. This study aimed to analyse factors related to participation during the subsequent 4 years. We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Community of Madrid's Noncommunicable Disease Risk-Factor Surveillance System (SIVFRENT) (2020-23). Study population included individuals aged 50-69 years. We analysed the association between faecal occult blood test (FOBT) performance and demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle variables. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) were calculated using Poisson regression models, stratified by sex. Among 3813 participants, 52.1% were women. Overall, 55.3% (95% CI: 53.6-57.0) underwent an FOBT for screening purposes, with a greater proportion of men (57.8%) than women (53.1%) (P < .05). The highest participation occurred during 2023. Among men, being separated or divorced (aPR: 0.80; 95% CI: 0.67-0.94) and being aged 50-59 years old (aPR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.85-0.99) were associated with a lower likelihood of undergoing an FOBT. Among women, lower participation was associated with being underweight (aPR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.40-0.97), widowed (aPR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66-0.93), born outside Spain (aPR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.72-0.95), a current smoker (aPR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.75-0.95), and being under 60 years of age (aPR: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.79-0.94). Overall, a gradual improvement in colorectal cancer screening participation was observed, with men participating at higher rates than women. The associated factors differ between men and women and need to be accounted for when strategies to increase programme coverage are implemented.