title: Socioeconomic status and colon cancer incidence: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: The association between socioeconomic status and colon cancer was investigated in a prospective cohort study that started in 1986 in The Netherlands among 120,852 men and women aged 55-69 years. At baseline, data on socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption and other dietary and non-dietary covariates were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. For data analysis a case-cohort approach was used, in which the person-years at risk were estimated using a randomly selected subcohort (1688 men and 1812 women). After 3.3 years of follow-up, 312 incident colon cancer cases were detected: 157 men and 155 women. After adjustment for age, we found a positive association between colon cancer risk and highest level of education (trend P = 0.13) and social standing (trend P = 0.008) for men. Also, male, upper white-collar workers had a higher colon cancer risk than blue-collar workers (RR = 1.42, 95% CI 0.95-2.11). Only the significant association between social standing and colon cancer risk persisted after additional adjustment for other risk factors for colon cancer (trend P = 0.005), but the higher risk was only found in the highest social standing category (RR highest/lowest social standing = 2.60, 95% CI 1.31-5.14). In women, there were no clear associations between the socioeconomic status indicators and colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: van Loon
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: van den Brandt
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Golbohm
mesh_terms: D015331:Cohort Studies; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004493:Education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires