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Table 4 Barriers to help seeking

From: Cancer symptom awareness and barriers to medical help seeking in Scottish adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Barrier

Gender (n = 2,134)

Knew someone with cancer (n = 2,049)

Ethnicity (n = 2,132)

Deprivation (SIMD†) (n = 1,944)

% Yes (n)

Male (n = 1,032)

Female (n = 1,102)

Significance*

Yes (n = 1,266)

No (n = 783)

Significance*

White (n = 1,826)

BME#(n = 306)

Significance*

Q1 (n = 1,205)

Q2-5 (n = 739)

Significance*

Emotional

            

Worried about what the doctor might find

65.0 (639)

78.3 (837)

χ2(1, 2052) = 44.81, p < 0.001

74.5 (905)

68.0 (516)

χ2(1, 1973) = 9.98, p = 0.002

72.7 (1274)

66.1 (197)

χ2(1, 2051) = 5.42, p = 0.002

72.7 (832)

71.8 (515)

χ2(1, 1862) = 0.15, p = 0.694

Too scared

45.8 (452)

68.2 (732)

χ2(1, 2059) = 105.3, p < 0.001

61.1 (750)

51.7 (390)

χ2(1,1982) = 16.72,p < 0.001

58.0 (1023)

53.0 (157)

χ2(1, 2059) = 2.58, p = 0.109

56.1 (646)

59.1 (424)

χ2(1, 1869) = 1.69, p = 0.194

Not confident to talk about symptoms

41.4 (404)

54.7 (578)

χ2(1, 2032) = 36.15, p < 0.001

49.2 (590)

46.2 (349)

χ2(1, 1955) = 1.72, p = 0.190

48.4 (839)

46.5 (139)

χ2(1, 2031) = 0.39, p = 0.533

47.2 (534)

49.9 (356)

χ2(1, 1844) = 1.29, p = 0.256

Too embarrassed

37.8 (370)

57.5 (612)

χ2(1, 2044) = 79.83, p < 0.001

49.2 (597)

45.9 (346)

χ2(1, 1967) = 2.06, p = 0.151

48.1 (841)

46.4 (137)

χ2(1, 2044) = 0.27, p = 0.601

46.9 (536)

47.5 (388)

χ2(1, 1855) = 0.08, p = 0.774

Family

            

I wouldn’t want my family to find out

34.3 (336)

37.4 (395)

χ2(1, 2035) = 2.20, p = 0.138

36.7 (442)

34.0 (257)

χ2(1, 1959) = 1.53, p = 0.217

36.3 (631)

33.1 (98)

χ2(1, 2034) = 1.13, p = 0.289

37.6 (427)

32.5 (232)

χ2(1, 1848) = 4.93, p = 0.026

Service Barriers

            

Difficult to talk to doctor

25.6 (247)

34.1 (358)

χ2(1, 2014) = 17.41, p < 0.001

30.9 (368)

28.3 (211)

χ2(1, 1938) = 1.47, p = 0.226

30.4 (523)

26.4 (78)

χ2(1, 2014) = 1.91, p = 0.167

30.2 (340)

28.4 (200)

χ2(1, 1829) = 0.68, p = 0.408

Worried about wasting the doctor’s time

25.8 (251)

32.6 (342)

χ2(1, 2022) = 11.09, p = 0.001

29.8 (357)

27.8 (208)

χ2(1, 1947) = 0.81, p = 0.368

30.0 (520)

24.4 (71)

χ2(1, 2022) = 3.83, p = 0.050

28.8 (324)

28.3 (201)

χ2(1, 1836) = 0.05, p = 0.830

Difficult to make an appointment

22.5 (217)

22.4 (235)

χ2(1, 2014) = 0.00, p = 0.983

23.4 (279)

21.3 (158)

χ2(1, 1937) = 1.16, p = 0.282

21.6 (372)

27.9 (82)

χ2(1, 2014) = 5.64, p = 0.018

22.5 (253)

21.2 (149)

χ2(1, 1829) = 0.44, p = 0.506

Practical Barriers

            

Too busy

20.6 (202)

19.5 (206)

χ2(1, 2038) = 0.44, p = 0.506

19.5 (234)

20.6 (156)

χ2(1, 1960) = 0.36, p = 0.548

19.2 (334)

23.8 (71)

χ2(1, 2037) = 3.41, p = 0.065

19.6 (223)

20.3 (144)

χ2(1, 1849) = 0.15, p = 0.695

Other things to worry about

16.4 (160)

22.2 (235)

χ2(1, 2034) = 10.84, p = 0.001

18.9 (226)

20.2 (153)

χ2(1, 1956) = 0.52, p = 0.472

18.8 (327)

22.5 (67)

χ2(1, 2033) = 2.15, p = 0.142

18.9 (214)

18.7 (133)

χ2(1, 1845) = 0.00, p = 0.948

Difficult to arrange transport

16.6 (162)

12.1 (127)

χ2(1, 2027) = 8.54, p = 0.003

12.7 (152)

16.3 (123)

χ2(1, 1950) = 4.79, p = 0.029

14.0 (242)

16.2 (48)

χ2(1, 2026) = 1.02, p = 0.312

15.5 (176)

12.7 (90)

χ2(1, 1840) = 2.83, p = 0.092

  1. Notes: *Pearson’s χ2 test for 2x2 tables (i.e., Yes vs. No/Don’t know for each demographic variable). Statistically significant associations at the p < 0.05 level are emboldened.