Background
: Stomach cancer is the most common cancer in Korea. Lifelong health management program recommends that males over 40 years and women over 50 years should undergo stomach cancer screening by endoscopy or upper gastrointestinal series every two years. The importance of re-screening of stomach cancer in a high risk group is emphasized.

Methods : A telephone questionnaire was done one year after to 123 patients over 40 years old considered as a high risk group with either chronic atropic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, gastric ulcer, gastric adenoma among 804 subjects who had undergone an endoscopic examination from February 2002 to June 2003 at a university hospital health promotion center.

Results : The number of patients who responded were 109. The average recognition rate of high risk group was 53.2%. The rate of recognition of high risk group was lower in good subjective health estimation group and in less educated group, in old age group, and in chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia group. The rate of not receiving re-screening after 1 year was 48 (44.0%). Re-screening rate in patients with intestinal metaplasia (35.3%) and chronic atropic gastritis (39.1%) compared to gastric ulcer (77.8%) and gastric polyp (90.0%), in those not recognizing themselves as high risk group, in low education group, in old age, was lower.

Conclusion : In patients with chronic atropic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, in those not recognizing themselves as high risk group, in old age and in good subjective health state. We need to educate the importance for regular screening of stomach cancer more intensively.

Background
: Stomach cancer is the most common cancer in Korea. Stomach cancer has been the focus of screening for early detection. Few data are available regarding factors associated with participation in cancer screening examinations in general population. This study investigated associations of age, sex, residence, economic state, occupation, education years, marital status, health state, faith for stomach cancer screening with participation in screening tests for stomach cancer.

Methods : To identify the factors associated with participation in the stomach cancer screening examinations, 2133 persons above 40 years old were surveyed in 1998.

Results : Statistically significant (P<0.05) strong predictors of regular stomach cancer screening were as follows: (1) unban residence, (2) high economic state, (3) possession on faith for regular screening of stomach cancer.

Conclusion : Especially, rural residents should be educated about importance of stomach cancer screening.