title: Is obesity associated with colorectal cancer screening for African American and Latino individuals in the context of patient navigation?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The association between excess body weight and colorectal cancer screening is not well established. The purpose of this analysis was to explore, in the context of patients receiving navigation, whether obesity influences receipt of screening colonoscopy among lower-income Latinos and African Americans.
  
  
  METHODS
  This sub-analysis was conducted among Latinos and African American participants who received patient navigation and had complete body mass index (BMI) data (n = 520). Cross-sectional survey data were collected at baseline among individuals 50 years and older who were referred by their primary care providers for a colonoscopy at Mount Sinai's Primary Care Clinic. BMI was based on height and weight data from chart review at baseline, and colonoscopy completion status was collected at 1 year post-baseline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean BMI of the sample was 31.17 kg/m(2), with over half (53 %) of the sample categorized as obese. Rates of colonoscopy screening were high (~80 %), regardless of weight status. Adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, family history of colorectal cancer, smoking status, comorbid conditions, income, marital status, insurance, and education, obesity status was not significantly associated with screening behavior among the entire sample (adjusted OR 0.81, CI 0.49-1.32, p = 0.39) or among stratified race/ethnicity and gender groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that obesity may not negatively influence receipt of colonoscopy screening in the context of patient navigation among minority participants. Further studies are needed to determine whether this finding will be observed in other populations, with and without the assistance of a patient navigator.
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 641 Lexington Street, 7th Floor, New York, NY, 10022, USA, philipe@mskcc.org.
authors.forename: Errol J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Philip
authors.forename: Rachel C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Shelton
authors.forename: Hayley S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Elizaveta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Efuni
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Itzkowitz
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jandorf
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003113:Colonoscopy; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D062526:Patient Navigation; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology