Health belief and compliance with screening for fecal occult blood.

Additional data regarding compliance with screening for occult bowel neoplasm using hemoccult II is reported in this paper. The effects of 'health beliefs' and 'barriers to compliance' among a subset of 256 compliers and 166 noncompliers drawn from the population of 5003 patients previously screened were analyzed. Health belief variables as predictors of compliance were found to be age related. Being 'too busy' was frequently given as the reason for noncompliance in all age groups. The percentage of patients correctly classifies as to compliance was appreciably higher than in the earlier study which considered demographic data and the effect of diet restriction. These findings carry implications extending into clinical practice.