Impact of a Failsafe Reminder Letter and Associated Factors on Correct Follow-Up After a Positive FIT in the Flemish Colorectal Cancer Screening Program
Abstract
1. Introduction
2. Results
2.1. Descriptive Analysis
2.2. Univariable and Multivariable Analyses
3. Discussion
4. Materials and Methods
4.1. Study Population
4.2. Study Outcome
4.3. Study Determinants
- Age group (50–54; 55–59; 60–64; 65–69 & 70–74 years)
- Gender (male/female)
- Whether the failsafe letter was also sent to the person’s GP (no/yes)
- Belgian current nationality: percentage of residents with a Belgian current nationality (2024, continuous).
- Household size: average number of individuals per household (2024, continuous).
- Education level: percentage of residents aged 18–24 studying at a college/university (higher education), used as a proxy for education level (2023–2024, continuous).
- Average income: total net taxable income divided by the number of residents as of 1 January of the tax year (2022, continuous).
4.4. Statistical Analysis
4.4.1. Missing Data
4.4.2. Sample Size
4.4.3. Main Analyses
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Characteristics | Number (%) or Median (IQR) 1 |
---|---|
N = 7161 | |
Individual-level variables | |
Age group | |
50–54 | 934 (13.0%) 2 |
55–59 | 1439 (20.1%) |
60–64 | 1886 (26.3%) |
65–69 | 1409 (19.7%) |
70–74 | 1493 (20.8%) |
Gender | |
Male | 4237 (59.2%) |
Female | 2924 (40.8%) |
Whether the failsafe letter was also sent to the person’s GP | |
Yes | 6760 (94.4%) |
No 3 | 401 (5.6%) |
Statistical sector-level variables | |
Percentage of Belgian current nationality | 91.4 (83.7–95.4) |
Average household size | 2.43 (2.16–2.50) |
Percentage of having higher education | 3.70 (2.90–4.60) |
Average income (per 1000 EUR) | 23.0 (21.0–25.0) |
Outcome | |
whether a correct follow-up was performed after failsafe letter | |
Yes | 1151 (16.1%) |
No | 6010 (83.9%) |
Characteristics | Having a Correct Follow-Up After Failsafe Letter Number (%) or Median (IQR) 1 | aOR (95% CI) | p-Value | |
---|---|---|---|---|
No (N = 6010) | Yes (N = 1151) | |||
Age group | ||||
60–64 | 1563 (26.0%) | 323 (28.1%) | Ref | Ref |
50–54 | 779 (13.0%) | 155 (13.5%) | 0.95 (0.77–1.17) | 0.6272 |
55–59 | 1160 (19.3%) | 279 (24.2%) | 1.16 (0.97–1.38) | 0.1082 |
65–69 | 1175 (19.6%) | 234 (20.3%) | 0.96 (0.80–1.15) | 0.6569 |
70–74 | 1333 (22.2%) | 160 (13.9%) | 0.58 (0.48–0.72) | <0.0001 * |
Percentage of Belgian current nationality | 91.3 (83.6–95.3) | 91.9 (84.4–95.6) | 1.011 (1.004–1.0194) | 0.0018 * |
Average household size | 2.34 (2.16–2.50) | 2.35 (2.19–2.51) | 1.07 (0.85–1.34) | 0.5748 |
Percentage of having higher education | 3.60 (2.90–4.60) | 3.80 (3.00–4.60) | 1.041 (1.002–1.080) | 0.0385 * |
Average income (per 1000 EUR) | 23.0 (21.0–26.0) | 23.0 (21.0–25.0) | 0.976 (0.960–0.993) | 0.0045 * |
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Hoeck, S.; Tran, T.N. Impact of a Failsafe Reminder Letter and Associated Factors on Correct Follow-Up After a Positive FIT in the Flemish Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. Gastrointest. Disord. 2025, 7, 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/gidisord7040061
Hoeck S, Tran TN. Impact of a Failsafe Reminder Letter and Associated Factors on Correct Follow-Up After a Positive FIT in the Flemish Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. Gastrointestinal Disorders. 2025; 7(4):61. https://doi.org/10.3390/gidisord7040061
Chicago/Turabian StyleHoeck, Sarah, and Thuy Ngan Tran. 2025. "Impact of a Failsafe Reminder Letter and Associated Factors on Correct Follow-Up After a Positive FIT in the Flemish Colorectal Cancer Screening Program" Gastrointestinal Disorders 7, no. 4: 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/gidisord7040061
APA StyleHoeck, S., & Tran, T. N. (2025). Impact of a Failsafe Reminder Letter and Associated Factors on Correct Follow-Up After a Positive FIT in the Flemish Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. Gastrointestinal Disorders, 7(4), 61. https://doi.org/10.3390/gidisord7040061