Abstract C75: Community Factors, Socio-Demographics, and Colorectal Cancer Screening among Community-Dwelling Adults in Southeastern Virginia

National colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates have increased in recent decades, however, those living in medically underserved areas may not have experienced comparable screening increases. We evaluated the association of community characteristics including designation as a health professional shortage area [yes vs. no] and percent living in a rural area with CRC screening [up-to-date vs. not up-to-date] among a community-dwelling sample of adults age eligible for screening (50-75 years). Data were from a cross-sectional, mailed survey sent to a random sample of 2,527 residents of southeastern Virginia in spring 2013. N=1567 eligible respondents returned the survey (62% response rate). Respondents were 28% African American and an average age of 62 years (sd=6.9). Seventy-one percent reported being up-to-date with CRC screening. A logistic regression was run to predict the probability of being up-to-date with CRC screening given the community factors, while controlling for race, education, and insurance status. Despite 68% living in a rural area and 40% living in a designated health professional shortage area, these variables were not statistically significant predictors of screening status in adjusted models. However, all other variables included in the model were statistically significant (p<0.01). These results underscore the influence of race, education, and insurance status on CRC screening behaviors, independent of community level factors.Citation Format: Carrie Mi...
Source: Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention - Category: Cancer & Oncology Authors: Tags: Screening and Early Detection: Poster Presentations - Proffered Abstracts Source Type: research