ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Health Education and Promotion
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1601592
This article is part of the Research TopicNational Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month 2025: Current Progress and Future Prospects on Colorectal Cancer Prevention, Diagnosis and TreatmentView all 9 articles
Exploring Barriers to Colorectal Cancer Screening in Saudi Arabia: Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study
Provisionally accepted
- Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. Despite national screening recommendations, CRC screening uptake remains low in Saudi Arabia. This study aims to identify perceived barriers to CRC screening and examine their demographic variations.A cross-sectional study was conducted with 412 adults in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The study was conducted between April 2024 and July 2024 using a self-administered questionnaire. Perceived barriers to CRC were assessed using a questionnaire adapted from prior published studies. Statistical analyses included chi-square tests, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and logistic regression to determine demographic predictors of screening barriers.The most frequently reported barriers clustered into three domains: Personal Fears, Lack of Knowledge, and Healthcare System Barriers. "Absence of symptoms" (61.9%) and "fear of results" (28.9%) loaded under Personal Fears; "lack of awareness" (39.1%) under Lack of Knowledge; and "insufficient public awareness campaigns" (35.7%) under Healthcare Barriers. Women more commonly reported fear-related concerns, while younger participants cited knowledge gaps and financial limitations. The three factors explained 77.6% of the total variance. Logistic regression indicated that younger age and lack of prior screening experience were significant predictors of higher perceived barriers (p < 0.05).The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing psychological concerns, increasing public awareness, and improving healthcare provider engagement. Addressing these barriers through structured awareness campaigns, provider-driven screening initiatives, and improved access to non-invasive screening options could increase CRC screening rates and early detection in Saudi Arabia.
Keywords: colorectal cancer, Screening barriers, Awareness, Psychological factors, Public Health
Received: 28 Mar 2025; Accepted: 14 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Busbait. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Saleh Busbait, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.