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.