A national approach to skin cancer prevention: the National SunSmart Schools Program.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Adolescent↗
Biomedical subjects
D Reading
Publications and source records attributed to D Reading.
Acceptance of screening for colorectal cancer by flexible sigmoidoscopy.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the acceptance rate of screening by flexible sigmoidoscopy in a sample of general practice patients aged 50 to 60, and the acceptability of the procedure among those undergoing the test. SETTING: Recruitment took place in selected general practices in Melbourne, Australia. Flexible sigmoidoscopies were performed at the local public hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: 187 patients aged between 50 and 60, and without bowel symptoms, were seen by one of 12 non-randomly selected general practitioners during the study period. At the conclusion of routine consultation general practitioners discussed colorectal screening with eligible patients and recommended that they attend a free screening clinic at the local hospital. The patients who attended the clinic underwent flexible sigmoidoscopy performed by experienced endoscopists. Clinic attenders completed a questionnaire which measured perceptions of the screening visit. RESULTS: The attendance rate was 49%. All clinic attenders were satisfied with the care received at clinic. Sixty five per cent of people experienced either no discomfort or mild discomfort, while 15% of people experienced moderate or severe pain. A bloated feeling was common (80%), with around 36% of people experiencing moderate or extreme bloating. Most people said that they were not at all embarrassed (64%), though 9% reported moderate or extreme embarrassment. Seventeen people (19%) were found to have polyps. CONCLUSIONS: Although the procedure was acceptable to those who underwent the screening test, further research on effective recruitment strategies is required if a full scale flexible sigmoidoscopy screening programme is to be considered feasible.
Age Factors↗
Encouraging attendance at a screening mammography programme: determinants of response to different recruitment strategies.
OBJECTIVES: To predict attendance at a mammographic screening programme after a community health promotion campaign and attendance after a personal invitation in addition to that campaign. SETTING: A pilot mammographic screening programme in Melbourne, Australia. METHODS: Attendance was encouraged by a community health promotion campaign and one year later, a personal invitation was sent to all women who had not yet attended. Drawn from two regions of a defined area (close to and distant from the screening centre), 618 women were interviewed before the programme started, and subsequent attendance at the programme was recorded. RESULTS: Over half of the women (58%) in the sample residing close to the screening centre and 44% of women in the more distant sample attended. The personal invitation boosted attendance, particularly in the distal sample where attendance was predicted by ease of access to the programme; positive intention to attend; moderate experience of, perceived susceptibility to, concern about, and knowledge of breast cancer; adoption of other preventive health behaviours; having a job; and older age. Proximity to the programme, positive initial intentions, having heard of a mammogram, no concern about radiation from a mammogram, high personal control over health, and belonging to a club were associated with attendance after exposure to only the health promotion campaign. A personal invitation encouraged attendance among women without these characteristics. CONCLUSION: A personal invitation in addition to a community promotion campaign seems to overcome many barriers to attendance. Attendance may be further increased by informing women of the benefits of early detection and improving access to the screening centre.
Age Factors↗
Recruitment activities and sociodemographic factors that predict attendance at a mammographic screening program.
A random sample of 2266 women aged 50 to 69 years was used to investigate factors that predict attendance at a free Australian mammographic screening program. The most important predictor was receipt of a personal invitation letter. A letter that included an appointment time increased attendance 132-fold initially and decreased to 20 times baseline after 14 days. A letter that did not include an appointment time increased attendance 12-fold, and a second letter to nonattenders increased attendance approximately 13-fold. Attendance declined with increasing distance from the program and with increases in the percentage of non-English speaking women in a neighborhood, but was higher in areas of higher socioeconomic status.
Age Factors↗
The acceptability of personal invitations to a mammographic screening program.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Aged↗
Effectiveness, costs, and cost-effectiveness of recruitment strategies for a mammographic screening program to detect breast cancer.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Since effective and affordable recruitment methods are essential for the widespread implementation of mammographic screening for detection of breast cancer, we studied the effectiveness, the costs, and the cost-effectiveness of various recruitment strategies in the population targeted by a pilot Australian program that offered free mammography screening between 1988 and 1990. METHODS: We evaluated three public recruitment strategies--local newspaper articles, community promotion, and promotion to physicians--and five personal strategies--invitation letters with or without specified appointment times, either alone or with a follow-up letter, or telephone call to nonattenders. The effectiveness of public recruitment strategies was estimated from monthly attendance rates by Poisson regression analysis, while the probability of attendance in response to personal strategies was calculated using logistic regression analysis. Costs were determined by resource usage studies. The cost-effectiveness ratios for personal strategies were determined using decision analysis. RESULTS: The costs in 1988-1989 Australian dollars per woman recruited were $22 for local newspaper articles and $106 for community promotion. No detectable increase in attendance resulted from promotion to physicians. When the cost of reserving an appointment was considered, the most cost-effective personal recruitment strategy was an invitation letter without a specified appointment time, followed by a second letter to nonattenders. This strategy recruited 35.6% of women in the sample targeted and cost $10.52 per attendee. In comparison, the most effective personal recruitment strategy was a letter with a specified appointment time followed by a second letter to nonattenders, which recruited 44.1% of women at an average cost of $19.99 and a marginal cost of $59.71 per additional attendee. CONCLUSIONS: Personal recruitment strategies were more cost-effective than public strategies. The most cost-effective personal strategy was an invitation letter without a specified appointment time, followed by a second letter to nonattenders.
Australia↗
Boosting recruitment to breast screening programmes.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Aged↗
Minority volunteers: developing a broad-based program.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Hospital Bed Capacity, 500 and over↗