Florida Populations Most at Risk of Not Being Up to Date With Colorectal Cancer Screening

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Cancer Prevention
• Health Disparities

Background:

• Colorectal cancer screening is crucial for early detection and prevention.
• Identifying at-risk populations is essential for effective public health interventions.
• Florida faces challenges in achieving optimal colorectal cancer screening rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize populations at risk of being overdue for colorectal cancer screening in Florida.
• To identify specific subgroups within Florida that are not up to date with screening recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Exhaustive Chi-squared Automatic Interaction Detection (a classification tree analysis).
• Analyzed data from the 2013 Florida Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
• Focused on adults aged 50 to 75 years (n=14,756).

Main Results:

• Only 65.5% of the sample reported being up to date on colorectal cancer screening.
• Lack of insurance and absence of a primary care provider were key predictors of non-adherence.
• Highest risk subgroups included uninsured individuals (with or without a primary care provider) and insured younger smokers.

Conclusions:

• Certain populations in Florida are at elevated risk for incomplete colorectal cancer screening.
• Tailored interventions are necessary to address the needs of these high-risk subgroups.
• Efforts should align with Healthy People 2020 objectives to improve screening coverage.