 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
David Vlahov, PhD1, Jennifer Ahern, MPH1, Tara L. Vazquez, BSW2, Steven Johnson, PhD3, Laura A. Philips, PhD, MBA2, and Sandro Galea, MD, MPH1. (1) Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies, New York Academy of Medicine, 1216 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029, 212-822-7383, DVLAHOV@NYAM.ORG, (2) New York Cancer Project, AMDeC Foundation, 10 Rockefeller Plaza, suite 1120, New York, NY 10020, (3) Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University, 622 W 168th St, VC557, New York, NY 10032
Racial/ethnic disparities in cancer screening have been reported; these disparities may be due to access to care and perception of personal risk. We used data from the New York Cancer Project, a volunteer-based study of cancer risk conducted between 2000-2002, to assess screening for common cancers. Among 5995 cancer-free adults 50 years of age and older, 40.3% reported colon cancer screening (sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy), 91.7% of women reported breast cancer screening (mammography), and 65.2% of men reported prostate cancer screening (digital rectal exam) within the prior five years. Racial/ethnic disparities were detected for all three types of cancer screening. For example, 48.0% of Whites, reported colon cancer screening, compared with only 33.9% of African-Americans, 28.0% of Hispanics, and 30.3% of Asians (p<0.001). Among women, 93.4% of Whites reported breast cancer screening in the previous 5 years, compared with 85.1% of Asians (p<0.001). Among men, 72.0% of Whites were screened for prostate cancer in the prior 5 years, compared with 55.7% of African-Americans, 56.5% of Hispanics, and 48.2% of Asians (p<0.001). After adjustment for age, gender, access to care (insurance status and individual income), and risk profile (including cancer in the family and smoking), African-Americans and Hispanics still had lower colon cancer screening; there were no remaining racial/ethnic differences for breast and prostate cancer screening. Racial/ethnic disparities in screening for breast and prostate cancers were explained by differences in income and insurance. Reasons for low colon cancer screening among African-Americans and Hispanics require further exploration.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Cancer Screening, Ethnicity
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.