Lack of Participation in the Cancer Bowel Screening Test

Running head: LACK OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CANCER BOWEL SCREENING TEST
Lack of participation in the cancer bowel screening test
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1LACK OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CANCER BOWEL SCREENING TEST
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2LACK OF PARTICIPATION IN THE CANCER BOWEL SCREENING TEST
Introduction:
The incidence rate of bowel cancer in Australia from the year of 2015 had been 14962
and the rates have spiked to close to 16500 new cases in the last year itself. The number of
deaths due to this particular disease is 4346 which indicates art bowel cancer being the second
highest contributor to cancer related mortality after lung cancer (Bowel-
cancer.canceraustralia.gov.au. 2018). As per the media article “Australians are 'too busy' for
bowel cancer screening. Here's why you should make time” published in ABC health and
wellbeing, only 39% of the men that receive the free bowel cancer screening kit actually use it
(Willis 2018). Hence, the lack of participation among the middle aged men, belonging to the age
group of 50-74 contributes to the most of the mortality risk facilitated b the late diagnosis. This
essay will attempt to discover the different underlying factors associated with this scenario and
how it impacts the levels of participation.
Discussion:
According to the data received from the New South Wales, more than 40% of the target
Australian population does not even use the free bowel cancer screening test kit, and as per the
article mentioned above, majority of them blamed the lack of time for their lack of compliance.
However, as stated by the bowel cancer screening manager in the article, early detection is the
key to enhanced prevention and management of the disease. And as predicted by the Saunders
and Peerson (2010), the incidence rate of the disease will rise up to 17000 in the 2018, and the
maximum risk is at the age group of 50-74. And yet the levels of participation among the
different Australians remain very low.