Attempt to engage, yet failure to obtain successful bowel cancer screening: more likely in Māori, Pacific peoples, Asians, men and high deprivation areas.

Abstract

Aim: In New Zealand, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second highest cause of cancer death. We sought to characterise a unique population, the individuals who attempt to engage one or multiple times with screening yet fail to ever obtain successful screening.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive analysis on data from the New Zealand National Bowel Screening Programme 2012 to 2022.

Results: Over 7,000 individuals (1.26% of all participants) have attempted but failed to be successfully screened in the national bowel screening programme. Males compared with females (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.17), Asian (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.55-1.77), Māori (OR 2.07, 95% CI 1.92-2.24) or Pacific peoples (OR 2.30, 95% CI 2.09-2.52) compared with Europeans had greater odds to attempt but fail to be screened. Māori New Zealand Index of Deprivation (NZDep) quintile five (most deprived) had 4.12 (95% CI 3.64-4.67, plt;0.0001) the odds to attempt but fail to be screened compared with European deprivation quintile one participants (least deprived).

Conclusions: There are important variations in the failure to successfully receive CRC screening by gender, age, ethnicity, deprivation level and screening year. We suggest drop-off location checking services for all participants are required.