Ricciardi, Giovanni E;
Pennisi, Flavia;
Von Wagner, Christian;
Smith, Lauren;
Kaushal, Aradhna;
Abel, Gary A;
Lyratzopoulos, Georgios;
(2025)
Attribution of colorectal cancer symptoms to medications for pre-existing chronic conditions: a secondary analysis of a vignette study in England.
Journal of Public Health
, Article fdaf014. 10.1093/pubmed/fdaf014.
(In press).
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Abstract
Objective: To investigate the likelihood of attributing colorectal cancer (CRC) symptoms to medications for chronic conditions. // Methods: The online vignette survey included 1287 participants aged ≥50 years, with quota sampling to recruit sufficient participants with type 2 diabetes. Participants self-reported chronic conditions and answered questions on symptom attribution and help-seeking, after reading vignettes describing new-onset rectal bleeding or change in bowel habit. Using multivariable logistic regression, we analyzed the association between specific conditions and attributing new-onset CRC symptoms to medications, controlling for demographics. // Results: Among participants, 25% reported type 2 diabetes, 31% being overweight, 25% hypertension and 22% arthritis. Participants with diabetes, versus those without, had a higher likelihood of attributing change in bowel habit to medications [7% vs 3%; adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 2.55, Confidence Interval (95% CI) 1.30–5.00]. This was also the case for participants reporting being overweight (7% vs 2%; aOR 2.36, 95% CI 1.25–4.44), arthritis (8% vs 3%; aOR 2.27, 95% CI 1.19–4.35), but not for hypertension. No significant association was found regarding attribution of rectal bleeding to medications. // Conclusions: Patients with common chronic conditions have a higher likelihood of attributing change in bowel habit to medications. Tailored information is needed for these patients, encouraging them to discuss any new symptom with their doctor.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Attribution of colorectal cancer symptoms to medications for pre-existing chronic conditions: a secondary analysis of a vignette study in England |
| Location: | England |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/pubmed/fdaf014 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdaf014 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Chronic conditions, colorectal cancer, diagnostic delays, symptom attribution, therapy |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10205261 |
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