P2121 - Content Analysis of Newspaper Colorectal Cancer Screening Coverage: Before and After the “80% by 2018” NCCRT Goal

Yash Hegde, MD, Chenxuan Li, BS, Jamie LaMantia, BS, Jennifer Weiss, MD, MS
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI

Introduction: News coverage plays a crucial role in helping achieve higher CRC screening rates through public education about cancer prevention. The National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable (NCCRT) advises that educational messages to patients include endorsements from those who have been screened, multiple screening options, and discussions on screening concerns. The NCCRT launched a campaign to screen 80% of patients for CRC by 2018, but screening rates remain suboptimal. Herein, we compare the content of CRC screening in newspaper coverage before and after 2018 using NCCRT effective messaging recommendations.

Methods: Qualitative content analysis on newspaper articles addressing CRC screening from the top 15 US newspapers between January 1, 2010, and May 1, 2023. Articles were coded for five constructs related to the NCCRT recommendations: (1) screening recommendations, (2) types of screening tests, (3) statistics on CRC and screening, (4) barriers to screening, and (5) messengers of information. Coded constructs were compared between articles published before and after 2018.

Results: 351 newspaper articles were included in the study. For the screening recommendations, guideline recommendations were mentioned in 71% of articles pre-2018 and 48% post-2018. For types of screening tests, colonoscopies were mentioned in 82% and stool tests in 36% of articles pre-2018 compared to 77% mentioning colonoscopies and 30% mentioning stool tests post-2018. Regarding statistics on CRC and screening, specific data were mentioned in 64% of articles pre-2018 and 45% post-2018 with statistics on racial/ethnic minority groups highlighted in 10% of articles pre-2018 and 17% post-2018. 40% of articles pre-2018 and 55% post-2018 mentioned barriers to screening, with the COVID-19 pandemic discussed as the major barrier post-2018. Lastly, for messengers, celebrity testimonies were used in articles post-2018 but not in articles pre-2018.

Discussion: Prior to 2018, more newspaper articles covering CRC screening mentioned guideline-based recommendations and discussed specific screening tests compared to after 2018. After 2018, there was an improvement in reporting CRC statistics specific to racial/ethnic groups, discussions of barriers to CRC screening, and use of celebrity messengers. To help achieve the new NCCRT goal of “80% in every community”, newspaper articles on CRC screening should include all five recommended constructs for more effective messaging.


Disclosures:


Yash Hegde, MD, Chenxuan Li, BS, Jamie LaMantia, BS, Jennifer Weiss, MD, MS. P2121 - Content Analysis of Newspaper Colorectal Cancer Screening Coverage: Before and After the “80% by 2018” NCCRT Goal, ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting Abstracts. Philadelphia, PA: American College of Gastroenterology.