Abstract B14: Psychosocial correlates to intention to participate in CRC screening among an urban sample of nonscreened African Americans

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Abstract African Americans have the highest mortality rates for colorectal cancer (CRC) in the United States. Unfortunately, this disparity may be related to underscreening. While a variety of psychosocial factors have been shown to contribute to their low CRC screening rates as compared to African Americans’ screening rates for other cancers, the construct of tolerance for ambiguity (TFA) has yet to be examined in the context of CRC screening. TFA describes the level of uncertainty an individual can manage and has been shown to influence decision making, such that individuals with a higher tolerance are more likely to enter ambiguous situations. This study sought to examine the role of TFA as a possible barrier to screening amongst a group of African American individuals (N= 93) who have yet to participate in CRC screening in an urban outpatient clinic. Participants ranged in ages between 50 and 87 (mean age = 56, SD = 6.693) and were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds (63% earned less than $15,000 per year and 27% completed less than 11 years of schooling). Correlational analysis between TFA, screening intention in the next year, and psychosocial factors previously shown to influence decision to screen including: knowledge of screening, perceived risk, collectivism, and worry was conducted. Contrary to hypothesis, TFA was not shown to be significantly associated with intent to screen. Instead, among the psychosocial factors, knowledge of screening demonstrated the strongest relationship with intention to have a colonoscopy in the next year (P< 0.01). However, TFA was shown to be significantly related to higher collectivism (P< 0.01) and education levels (P< 0.04). TFA does not appear to be a primary barrier to screening, however warrants further examination as to how it contributes or possibly overlaps with other psychosocial factors. Results suggest that amid this sample of African American non-screeners, providing adequate information regarding the need for screening remains an important factor that may improve screening rates, particularly among those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Acknowledgement of funding: NCI: CA104130-01 Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):B14.