title: Primary care physicians' cancer screening recommendation practices and perceptions of cancer risk of Asian Americans.
abstract: Asian Americans experience disproportionate incidence and mortality rates of certain cancers, compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Primary care physicians are a critical source for cancer screening recommendations and play a significant role in increasing cancer screening of their patients. This study assessed primary care physicians' perceptions of cancer risk in Asians and screening recommendation practices. Primary care physicians practicing in New Jersey and New York City (n=100) completed a 30-question survey on medical practice characteristics, Asian patient communication, cancer screening guidelines, and Asian cancer risk. Liver cancer and stomach cancer were perceived as higher cancer risks among Asian Americans than among the general population, and breast and prostate cancer were perceived as lower risks. Physicians are integral public health liaisons who can be both influential and resourceful toward educating Asian Americans about specific cancer awareness and screening information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA. grace.ma@temple.edu
authors.forename: Harry T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Grace X
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: Min Qi
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D019983:Guideline Adherence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D009515:New Jersey; D009519:New York City; D010465:Perception; D058007:Physicians, Primary Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000592:standards*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors