SynthesisHealth promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals2026
Geographical Disparities in Faecal Immunochemical Test-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Participation and Positivity Rates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Geographical Disparities in Faecal Immunochemical Test-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening Participation and Positivity Rates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2026Pooled it
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPeople in rural and remote areas often participate less actively in colorectal cancer (CRC) prevention practices, including faecal immunochemical testing (FIT). However, the evidence on this is limited.
objectiveThe aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to summarise geographical disparities in participation and positivity of FIT-based CRC screening.
methodsSix databases were searched for articles published until June 2024. We included studies reporting FIT-based CRC screening among average-risk individuals aged 40-74, examining geographical disparities using location-based or geospatial methods. Two reviewers independently screened, assessed bias, and extracted data. Random-effects models estimated pooled participation, positivity rates, and odds ratios for geographical effects.
resultsOf 8532 articles, 35 were included in the review, with 21 used for meta-analysis. The overall FIT participation rate was 49.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 40.6, 59.2). In Europe, individuals in rural areas had higher participation rates compared to urban areas (pooled odds ratio [POR]: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.42), while in Australia, remote areas exhibited lower odds of participation than metropolitan areas (POR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.65, 0.87). The overall FIT positivity rate was 8.70% (95% CI: 6.50, 11.70), with no significant difference between rural and urban areas (p = 0.24).
conclusionsA notable disparity in the FIT-based CRC screening participation rate was observed using the geographical definition of rurality and remoteness. Further research is needed to identify the sociocultural, healthcare access, and policy factors driving these differences and develop targeted strategies to improve screening and address barriers for underserved populations.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.