Abstract
Cancer screening is important for health promotion and is a key element in reducing the disparities in cancer morbidity and mortality. Mortality rates for colorectal cancer are more than 40% higher among African Americans than among other ethnic populations in the United States. The primary objective of the present study is to determine correlates of colonoscopy utilization in the Black Women's Health Study. Our study sample comprised 10992 black women from the Black Women's Health Study whose ages ranged from 50 to 72 years at base-line in 1997; colonoscopy use in the subsequent 8 years was ascertained. The strongest correlate of colonoscopy use was mammography use: women who utilized mammography had 2.5 times the odds of having a colonoscopy, compared with those who never screened for breast cancer. Women who reported having health insurance had 2 times the odds of having a colonoscopy compared with women who did not have health insurance. Higher level of education was also associated with colonoscopy screening. Concurrent promo-tion of cancer screenings, ie, mammography and colonos-copy, may be a good approach to increasing colonoscopy utilization among women.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 237-242 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Journal of the National Medical Association |
Volume | 102 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- African Americans
- Colonoscopy
- Screening
- Women's health
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Medicine