Colorectal cancer strikes – and kills – African-Americans at rates higher than any other racial group in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Yet, 25 percent of older African-Americans who had gone without a timely colorectal cancer screening said doctors failed during a regular checkup to recommend it compared to 17 percent of older whites, according to a new study in the Journal of Gastroenterology.
The study, co-authored by Associate Center Director Ninez Ponce, Folasade May, Christopher Almario and Brennan Spiegel, used responses from nearly 5,800 people who reported not having a timely CRC screening in the 2009 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS). Although there were other reasons people gave for not getting screened for colorectal cancer (CRC), a larger share of older unscreened African-Americans and Asian-Americans said their main reason was their doctor did not recommend the test, the study found. Among all unscreened people, 1 in 5 cited the same reason for not getting screened. The test is recommended for people ages 50 to 75. The study found rates of doctor non-recommendation for CRC screening among Asian-Americans and Latinos were 22 percent and 21 percent, respectively. English proficiency and whether a patient was treated at a clinic also created variations in doctor recommendation. Nearly 3 in 5 Californians ages 50 to 75 were up to date for a CRC check, authors said. "Doctor recommendation is the biggest driver in people getting screened for colorectal cancer, the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the country," said Ponce. "It is part of the provider's job to eliminate disparities like this and save lives." Read the journal article: Racial Minorities Are More Likely Than Whites to Report Lack of Provider Recommendation for Colon Cancer Screening
About the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. For more information, visit healthpolicy.ucla.edu.