Development of a community based intervention to increase bowel screening uptake in South Asians living in a diverse area of Oxford City (OX4): a mixed methods study - date extension 31/07/20

Project Description

Bowel cancer screening uptake for South Asians in the UK (~30%) falls short of the national target of 60%. This together with frequent presentation with a more advanced stage of the disease at diagnosis contributes to poor health outcomes of UK South Asians (S.Asians).

Previous research has tested universal interventions aiming to improve uptake in the general population. However, these universal interventions have had limited success overall, and strategies to improve uptake specifically targeted and tailored for S.Asian communities may be more effective. There is little research specifically identifying the barriers to bowel screening uptake by S.Asians.

Our aim is to identify barriers and enablers of bowel cancer screening uptake, and approaches that could increase uptake in S.Asians living in a diverse area of Oxford, and develop a community based intervention designed to increase uptake in this population group.

This study will comprise (1) focus groups, and (2) workshops. (1) For the focus groups, we will recruit S.Asian men and women aged >60 years from communities with a diverse population in Oxford (OX4). Building on our links with community leaders we will seek access primarily via faith-based venues (Mosques, Hindu temples and Sikh Gurdwaras) which we will attend to recruit participants. Focus groups (~1 hour) will be held in local community venues to explore what informs an individual’s decision-making around bowel screening uptake, and what strategies from a menu of choices might be helpful to increase the likelihood of responding to screening invitations. These data will be used to draw up a blueprint for a community-based intervention which will be further developed and refined through feedback gathered during two workshops: one with local stakeholders (collaborators, primary and secondary healthcare professionals, clinical commissioners, public health advisors and patient and public representatives) and another involving S.Asians from the local community (including focus group participants). Workshop members will be asked to comment on the potential usefulness of the proposed intervention components, suggest modifications that could maximise their relevance, and identify any further strategies that might be effective and feasible in improving bowel screening uptake in S.Asians. This study will enable us to co-produce a multi-component community-based intervention to improve bowel cancer screening uptake in S.Asians which will be evaluated in a subsequent study.