Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Appalachian Kentucky

University of Kentucky: Prevention Research Center

Topics:
Cancer

In rural Kentucky, only 27 percent of people aged 40 years or older report ever having had a screening test for colon cancer. Researchers conducted a survey and several focus groups with primary care physicians in the area to determine what physicians believe prevents or dissuades residents from being screened. The two most frequently mentioned reasons were patients’ fear of invasive procedures and their fear of a cancer diagnosis. Patients’ financial and insurance concerns, physicians’ time constraints, and a lack of adequate technology and record-keeping were also cited as barriers to screening.

The researchers are developing and testing interventions to give primary care practitioners specific ways to increase rates of screening among men and women aged 50 years or older in an area of Appalachian Kentucky. These interventions aim to increase residents’ knowledge about the screening test and cancer prevention.

 

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