Project: Colorectal Cancer Screening in People with Intellectual Disabilities

People with intellectual disabilities (ID) face many barriers to health and healthcare. Colorectal cancer is one of the cancers with the highest prevalence, incidence and mortality.

In Austria, efforts have recently been made to plan and implement a nationally organised colorectal cancer screening programme to improve early detection and reduce mortality. Although screening programmes have been shown to be effective, international data suggest that people with ID are much less likely to participate in screening programmes. This leads to diagnosis at a later stage and a poorer prognosis. However, there is a lack of research that addresses the specific barriers and facilitators to colorectal cancer screening in people with ID from the perspective of people with ID.

The aims of this project are to identify the needs of people with ID to effectively participate and be included in an organised colorectal cancer screening programme, and to explore the facilitators and barriers to participation from the perspective of people with ID and caregivers.