Personal background and cognitive factors as predictors of the intention to be screened for stomach cancer

Although stomach cancer screening is effective for reducing mortality, it is underutilized in Korea. By applying an extended theory of planned behavior model, our objective was to determine how personal background factors influence a patient's inclination to be screened for stomach cancer. The study population was derived from the 2006 Korean National Cancer Screening Survey, which was done to investigate the participation of the general population in cancer screening. In total, 1,509 Koreans who were 40 to 70 years old participated in this study. Path analysis was used to test a conceptual model in which (a) factors considered as precursors to be screened (components in theory of planned behavior model) directly predicted the intention to be screened and (b) personal background factors, including sociodemographic factors, previous screening experience, economic status, and perceived risk, indirectly influenced the intention to be screened through their effects on cognitive components such as attitude and subjective norm in the theory of planned behavior model. Most of the personal background factors did not directly influence intention but instead influenced cognitive elements in the theory of planned behavior model. Attitude and perceived behavioral control were well correlated with a patient's intention, regardless of the screening cost.