| This study aimed to analyze the current policies of common gastrointestinal cancer prevention. This
qualitative instrumental case study was conducted in 2019 to analyze policies using the “policy
triangle framework.” Two data collection methods were used: document review and semistructured
interviews. The country's related documents were searched through databases. Semistructured interviews
were conducted at the interviewee's workplace. In total, 22 participants were interviewed, 12
of whom were from the Ministry of Health. Interviews and documents were analyzed using directed
content analysis in MAXQDA v10 software. Interobserver reliability, peer check, and member check
were done to confirm the trustworthiness of data. The main contextual factors affecting gastrointestinal
cancers in Iran were socioeconomic, structural, political, and legal factors. Content of
gastrointestinal cancer prevention in the national policies were mostly about lifestyle changes, food
security, and environmental conditions. Efforts for cancer prevention policymaking in Iran starts in
1984 with a top‐down approach to the implementation and three types of evaluation. Stakeholders of
gastrointestinal cancer prevention policies in Iran were categorized into three groups of governmental,
nongovernmental, and semigovernmental organizations. Coordination among different organizations
should be strengthened through setting common goals and creating a shared vision, and finally,
political leadership should be realized by the Ministry of Health. |