Use of Colorectal Cancer Screening Among People With Mobility Disability

We aimed to assess use of colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) as per United States Preventive Task Force guidelines among people with mobility disability using a nationally representative data set.

Individuals with mobility disability have decreased access to health care services, but the impact of mobility disability on CRCS has not been investigated.

Data from the 2013 National Health Interview Survey were used to estimate sociodemographic characteristics of adults with mobility disability, prevalence of CRCS, and odds of CRCS given mobility disability among Americans aged 50 to 75.

In total, 56.8% of the entire sample (n=81,953,585) were up-to-date with CRCS. Mobility disability was not associated with CRCS status on univariable analysis but was significantly associated after adjustment for covariates including age and comorbidities, with an inverse relationship between the degree of mobility disability and odds of CRCS. Odds ratio for CRCS given progressively severe disability were 0.78 (0.66 to 0.93), 0.71 (0.53 to 0.94), 0.65 (0.31 to 1.19).

The present study indicates reduced CRCS among people with mobility disability and highlights the need for CRCS to be especially targeted toward this group. Future research should identify the specific systemic, social, and/or physical barriers to CRCS for this subgroup so that they can be addressed.