Improving Colon Cancer Screening Rates
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Prevention Research Center
Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Prevention Research Center have shown using a two-step approach that helps with decision-making can improve colon cancer screening rates for vulnerable populations.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death and is expected to cause about 51,020 deaths in 2019.1
This two-step approach included having study participants watch a promotional colon cancer screening video – while in their doctor’s waiting room — and then providing them with support from a bilingual patient assistant.
Study results show that 68% of participants completed their colon cancer screening within six months of visiting their doctor when compared to a 27% completion rate for those who didn’t participate. Patient ages were 50 to 75 years with average colorectal cancer risk.
Eighty-five percent of study participants were Latino, black, or of mixed race, and 78% had a household income of less than $20,000. Sixty-two percent were uninsured or on Medicaid. Data were collected at two community health centers serving vulnerable populations in New Mexico and North Carolina from January 2014 to March 2016.
Learn more about the results published in JAMA Internal Medicine.external icon
Study results show that 68% of participants completed their colon cancer screening within six months of visiting their doctor when compared to a 27% completion rate for those who didn’t participate.
About CDC Prevention Research Centers (PRC)
A network of 26 university-based research centers that work to identify public health problems and develop, test, and evaluate programs that can be applied in underserved communities. Learn more at CDC Prevention Research Centers’ website.
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1American Cancer Society: Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer, https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/about/key-statistics.htmlexternal icon. Accessed January 28, 2019.