Awareness of colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) and its determinants among people aged 40-70 years in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Background Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and is very common among the elderly population worldwide. Generally, colorectal cancer is detected very late, leading to immense patient suffering. CRC screening can detect cancer at very early stages through regular screening. CRC Screening is recommended to reduce mortality from asymptomatic CRCs before they go into the advanced stage. However, there is no evidence of awareness status among the Bangladeshi population. Hence, this study explored the status of CRC Screening awareness and identified associated sociodemographic and healthcare-related factors among high-risk populations. Methods This study was conducted in the Capital city of Bangladesh from August 2023 to November 2023. A total of 267 participants were enrolled in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for face-to-face interviews. The statistical software STATA (Version 15) was used for statistical analyses. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Ethical Review Committee (ERC) of North South University. Results We had 267 participants in total. The average age of the participants was 51.79 (±8.17) years. Only 19.48% of the participants had heard about CRC Screening, with education increasing awareness by 1.1% per every additional year (AOR: 1.11; 95%CI: 1.01-1.23; p = 0.038). Participants working in the health sector (AOR: 6.12; 95%CI: 2.03-18.34; p = 0.001) had 6.11 times higher odds of screening awareness than those who did not work as a healthcare worker after adjusting for other determinants. Participants with family members working in the health sector (AOR: 2.62; 95%CI: 1.18-5.81; p = 0.018) had 2.62 times higher odds of awareness of screening than those who do not have healthcare workers as family members after adjusting with educational status, having healthcare job, occupation, health check-up status, having anal disease, peers having polyps, family/peers having cancer, and doctors suggestion for Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)/Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT)/Colonoscopy. Respondents whose doctor suggested FOBT or Colonoscopy to them (AOR: 7.75; 95%CI: 2.18-27.53; p = 0.002) had 7.75 times higher odds of awareness than the participants who didn't get such suggestions from doctors. Conclusion Awareness of CRC screening among the high-risk populations in Bangladesh is very low. Education, healthcare-related jobs, family involvement in healthcare, and doctor recommendations were linked to greater awareness. Public awareness campaigns and government policies on CRC prevention and screening are essential for improving early detection.