Racial differences in cancer mortality and screening rates in three counties in Tennessee

African Americans have a significantly higher cancer mortality rate in Tennessee compared to their Caucasians counterparts. These disparities in cancer mortality and survival exist for most forms of cancer, including the leading cancers (cancers of the prostate, breast, and colon/rectum). The purpose of this study was to investigate whether racial differences in cancer mortality are reflected in cancer screening rates. The study sample consisted of African Americans and Caucasian completing the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System from three counties in Tennessee. The counties were Davidson County (Nashville), Shelby County (Memphis), and Hamilton County (Chattanooga). The data were collected for the years 1999-2003 and were obtained from the Tennessee Health Department on behalf of the Community Networks Program, a NCI-funded program aimed at improving access to and utilization of cancer-related health care. The results indicated that Caucasian women were significantly more likely to have had mammograms (OR=1.51, p<.05) and clinical breast exams (OR=1.73, p<.05) compared to African American women in all three counties. Also, Caucasian men in the three counties were significantly more likely to have had a PSA test (OR=1.64, p<.05) compared to African American men. Finally, Caucasians were more likely to have had colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy tests (OR=1.59, p<.05) and FOBT (OR=1.56, p<.05) compared to African Americans in the three counties. The results demonstrate that disparities in cancer screening may partly explain disparities in cancer mortality, hence, interventions aimed at reducing disparities in cancer screening need to be developed and implemented.