Intention to undergo faecal occult blood testing in an ethnic minority.

AIM

To explore factors associated with the intention of an ethnic minority of Israeli Arabs to undergo faecal occult blood testing using the Health Belief Model.

METHODS

This was a quantitative correlational study that utilized a questionnaire constructed based on the Health Belief Model. The questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 200 Israeli Arabs aged 50 and over. Data were collected during January to March 2018.

FINDINGS

The research findings show that respondents had a high intention to undergo faecal occult blood testing in the future, although only 66.5% of the respondents had ever undergone it in the past. Physicians and nurses were the most significant sources of information regarding the faecal occult blood testing. The Health Belief Model explained 46% of variance in the intention to undergo the faecal occult blood testing among Israeli Arabs, with perceived benefits of testing being the most significant predictor of this intention.

CONCLUSION

The Health Belief Model can serve as a basis for planning intervention programmes to be implemented by health care professionals to raise the intention of ethnic minorities to undergo faecal occult blood testing.