The effect of spirituality and health perception on screening behavior of people with and without a family history of cancer.

Aim: This study explored the role of health perceptions and spirituality on cancer screening participation among people with and without cancer history in first degree relatives (FDRs). Subject and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Elazıg, Turkey, with 150 individuals (75 individuals without a family history of cancer and 75 individuals with a family history of cancer). Spirituality and health perception of participants were measured using the Perception of Health Scale and Spirituality Scale at Fırat University Hospital. Univariate analysis (independent t-test/chi-square test) was applied first to identify the candidate independent variables. Then, multivariate logistic regression was used to examine the association between independent variables and participation in cancer screenings. Results: People with cancer history in FDRs participated in more cancer screening such as mammography and colonoscopy than those without FDRs (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). People with cancer history in FDRs participated have a better health perception than without FDRs (p = 0.001). Women (OR 3.694; 95% CI, 1.207–11.301; p = 0.022), health perception (OR 1.480; 95% CI, 1.290–1.697; p = 0.001), and spirituality (OR 1.074; 95% CI, 1.028–1.122; p = 0.001), were positively associated with the likelihood of participating in cancer screening. Conclusion: Our study emphasized that spirituality and health perception promote the participation in cancer screening. Future studies with large sample size are suggested to examine cancer screening behaviors for Turkish at-risk populations due to family history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]