Abstract

Background: The ‘Call for a Kit (CFAK)’ initiative offers consultations for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening non-responders through person-centred, community-delivered patient navigation strategies. This study investigated CFAK’s impact on tackling inequalities in CRC screening participation since the new faecal immunochemical test (FIT) implementation. Methods: 2360 bowel cancer screening non-responders were contacted via telephone and offered in-person or telephone consultations as part of the CFAK intervention between July 2022 and February 2023. Outcomes included uptake of the consultation offer and subsequent completion/return of a FIT kit. The intervention’s effectiveness in reducing inequalities was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Results: Of 2.360 individuals calls, 333 attended a consultation, requested a test kit and completed a test, equating to a 14.1% completion rate across the sample. FIT kit return was higher among individuals with Indian (22.0% vs. 13.6%; adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.52-3.34; p<0.001), Black, mixed, or other ethnic backgrounds than white adults. Importantly, people with disabilities (33.7% vs. 12.7%; aOR: 3.58, 95% CI: 2.49-5.14; p<0.001) were more likely to return a test kit compared to people without a disability. Conclusion: The findings show that CFAK is more effective among marginalized groups, such as ethnic minority groups and people with learning disabilities, who are less likely to participate in bowel cancer screening when routinely invited.