Knowledge of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Cancer Screening, with Colorectal Cancer Screening Attendance: A Nationwide Study in Japan (INFORM Study, 2020)

Watanabe, Otome; Nakaya, Naoki; Nakaya, Kumi; Kaji, Yuki; Otsuki, Aki; Saito, Junko; Yaguchi-Saito, Akiko; Kuchiba, Aya; Fujimori, Maiko; Shimazu, Taichi; Hozawa, Atsushi

doi:10.31557/APJCP.2026.27.5.1835

Knowledge of Colorectal Cancer Risk and Cancer Screening, with Colorectal Cancer Screening Attendance: A Nationwide Study in Japan (INFORM Study, 2020)

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

¹ Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8573 Japan.

² Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, Tohoku Medical Megabank Organization, Tohoku University, 2-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8573 Japan.

³ Division of Behavioral Sciences, National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Japan.

⁴ Division of Prevention, National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Japan.

⁵ Teikyo University Graduate School of Public Health, Japan.

⁶ Faculty of Human Sciences, Tokiwa University, Japan.

⁷ Division of Biostatistical Research, National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Japan.

⁸ Division of Survivorship Research, National Cancer Center Institute for Cancer Control, National Cancer Center, Japan.

10.31557/APJCP.2026.27.5.1835

Abstract

Background: Despite the availability of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, participation rates in Japan remain low. Although knowledge about CRC has been identified as a predictor of screening uptake, data specific to the Japanese population remain limited. We aimed to examine the associations between knowledge of CRC risk factors and knowledge of cancer screening, with CRC screening attendance in Japan. Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,966 Japanese adults aged 40–69 years. Associations between correct answers on CRC risk factors and cancer screening, and CRC screening attendance were analyzed using multiple logistic regression, adjusting for relevant covariates. Results: Seventy percent of participants had undergone CRC screening. A significant positive linear association was observed between knowledge of CRC risk factors and CRC screening attendance (P for trend < 0.01). Similarly, greater knowledge of cancer screening was significantly associated with higher attendance (P for trend < 0.01). Conclusion: Accurate knowledge of CRC risk factors and cancer screening was positively associated with CRC screening attendance. These findings show the importance of disseminating accurate information to the Japanese population; however, further prospective studies are needed to examine this association more thoroughly.

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