The relationship between adults' health beliefs about colorectal cancer prevention and health seeking behaviors

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between health beliefs about prevention of colorectal cancer (CRC) and health seeking behaviours of adults. Materials and Method: This descriptive and cross-sectional study included 435 patients aged 50-70 who did not present with a diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) or colorectal complaints at a city hospital in the western region of Turkey. Research data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Health Belief Model Scale for CRC Prevention, Health Seeking Behavior Scale, SF-12 Quality of Life Scale, and European Health Impact Scale-EUROHIS (WHOQOL-8.Tr). Results: It was found that individuals primarily preferred professional health-seeking behavior in the event of any illness. There was a moderate positive correlation between the total score of the Health Seeking Behavior Scale and the perception of trust-benefit (rs=0.579, p<0.001) and health motivation (rs=0.322, p<0.001) subscale scores, and a low positive correlation between the perception of sensitivity (rs=0.175, p<0.001) and severity (rs=0.119, p=0.013) subscale scores. An increase in the score of online health-seeking behavior was found to also increase the perception of trust-benefit, sensitivity, and health motivation scores. Furthermore, an increase in the score of professional health-seeking behavior was found to increase the perception of sensitivity and health motivation scores, and as the total score of the Health Seeking Behavior Scale increased, the scores of sensitivity and severity perceptions also increased. Conclusion: The research concluded that individuals' health beliefs regarding colorectal cancer prevention influence their health-seeking behaviors. To enhance individuals' health beliefs related to CRC prevention, it is recommended that nurses and other healthcare professionals develop counseling, education, screening, and monitoring programs. Keywords: Colorectal cancer, health-seeking behavior, health belief model, awareness, cancer screening