Insights into barriers that prevent African Americans from seeking colorectal screenings: a qualitative study

African Americans have disproportionally higher rates of colorectal cancer and higher morbidly. Colorectal cancer screening has been shown to decrease mortality form this largely preventable disease. Despite this fact, preventive screening, particularly colonoscopy, has been underutilized by the general population, especially by African Americans. Identifying barriers to preventive screening among African Americans in central Virginia is an important first step toward increasing the rates of colorectal cancer screening in our community.