Srijana Bajracharya received Faculty Development Summer Research Grant
The recent headlines on the leading causes of deaths revealed that the cancer has surpassed heart disease, the number one cause of death, among people below 85 years of age in the United States. Overall, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the United States. Early detection is one of the major factors that can save people’s lives from CRC. Although there are effective screening procedures available for the early detection of CRC, a national study revealed that there is an underuse of these screenings (Chao, et al. 2004). As a result, the mortality rate is not decreased as desired.
The purpose of this study is to gather information on the knowledge of employees regarding CRC and perceived benefits and barriers to CRC screening. A 27-item instrument has been developed based on an earlier focus group study and other prior instruments used in other localities. A pilot survey will be administered. A reliability test will be conducted and the instrument will be revised. The final survey will be used to carry out an expanded study with 400 randomly selected employees. The ultimate goal of this research is to find out the knowledge level of college/university employees about CRC and their perceived benefits and barriers to CRC screening. Based on the findings a set of recommendations will be provided to the appropriate health care services. This will allow them to prioritize CRC prevention and health promotion programs by tackling pertinent issues and improve risk management counseling strategies at the primary health care level.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/2005040713322361