Exploring the support mechanisms to facilitate the uptake of bowel screening: A Group Concept Mapping study

Bowel cancer is a common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Bowel screening aims to improve early detection and reduce mortality. Barriers to screening uptake are often associated with sociodemographic factors, cultural/religious issues, practical issues, psychological barriers, and lack of knowledge and awareness of the screening. However, little is known about the support required to remove these obstacles. A Group Concept Mapping study was carried out to explore the support mechanisms to facilitate the uptake of bowel screening from the perspectives of people living in an area of low uptake rate in Wales. A participatory, structured, mixed-methods approach called Group Concept Mapping was applied. Twenty-four participants were recruited and completed brainstorming, sorting and rating activities either online or offline. Fifty-six statements were generated and sorted into five conceptually similar clusters: ‘Easy-to-use test kits’; ‘Practical support’; ‘General Practitioner involvement’; ‘Information tailored to individual needs’; ‘Raising awareness and understanding of bowel screening’. Perspectives differed based on gender, disability and ethnicity. The findings highlight five broad areas of support that need to be addressed to facilitate the uptake of bowel screening. Health promotion interventions designed to improve screening uptake should consider a collective effort of providing simple and easy-to-use test kits, General Practitioner involvement, individualised practical support when required especially relating to gender and disability, accessible information, and awareness raising.