A Study on Efficient System of the Gastric Cancer Screening in the Community in JapanThe Relationship between the Operating Style of the Screening Program and the Population Size of Municipalities

Abstract

In order to learn the relationship between the population size of municipalities and conduct-ing methods of gastric cancer screening programs according to the Health and Medical Service for the Aged Act of 1982 in Japan, the programs of 2, 795 municipalities having replied a questionnaire survey were analyzed. Several aspects of conducting the programs, such as whether to conduct individual screenings, how to conduct outside office hour screening, how to provide information about screening schedules, keeping and controlling systems of the results, and participation rates, depended on the population size. The difference according to the population size seemed due to differences of life style and social environment between rural and urban, and population size itself. Moreover, the population size should be considered as a confounding factor in analyzing the relationship between the gastric cancer screening program system and the participation rate. J Epidemiol, 1993; 3 : 11-18.