Colorectal cancer screening: prevalence among low-income groups with health insurance.
We examined the prevalence of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening in a low-income, racial/ethnic minority sample, among whom 97 percent had health insurance that covered CRC screening. This is a model for examining the impact of health insurance on racial/ethnic disparities in screening. Screening rates (67 percent self-reported; 52 percent adjusted based on a validation substudy) were higher than among similar population-based samples who have lower levels of insurance coverage. There were no differences by race/ethnicity. This study suggests that insurance coverage for CRC screening should be considered as part of a comprehensive approach to address CRC disparities.
Emmons
Karen M
KM
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. karen_m_emmons@dfci.harvard.edu
Lobb
Rebecca
R
Puleo
Elaine
E
Bennett
Gary
G
Stoffel
Elena
E
Syngal
Sapna
S
D000368:Aged; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology