Marriage and cancer prevention: does marital status and inviting both spouses together influence colorectal cancer screening participation?

OBJECTIVES This study examined the influence of marital status and inviting both partners together on participation in colorectal cancer screening. SETTING Data were from a subset of participants from the UK Flexible Sigmoidoscopy Trial (1996-1999). METHODS Marital status was self-reported, and co-invitation of partner was obtained from the trial database. Screening intentions were assessed in 16,527 adults aged 55-64 years. Attendance was recorded in the 4130 respondents who were subsequently invited. RESULTS Multivariate analyses, controlling for age and educational level, indicate that married (or cohabiting) people have more positive intentions (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.38) and higher attendance rates at screening (OR = 1.23; 95% CI 1.04-1.45) than nonmarried people. After adjusting for the marriage effect, inviting partners together (co-invitation) significantly increased screening intentions among women (OR = 1.17; 95% CI 1.04-1.31) but not men (OR = 0.97; 95% CI 0.85-1.10). Co-invitation significantly increased attendance at screening in both genders (OR = 1.34; 95% CI 1.14-1.58). CONCLUSIONS In this age group, married adults are more likely to participate in colorectal cancer screening than the non-married, and inviting both members of a couple together further increases screening uptake. The positive effect of marriage was as strong for women as men.