183545 Trends in the utilization of healthcare services and cancer screenings for older African Americans in Detroit

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Donyell K. Coleman, PhD , Communication and Behavioral Oncology, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI
Terrance Albrecht, PhD , Karmanos Cancer Institute, Family Medicine/WSU School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
Peter Lichtenberg, PhD , Institute of Gerontology - Psychiatry/Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Olivia Washington, PhD, APRN, BC, NP , Institute of Gerontology - Psychiatry/Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Kristi Jenkins, PhD , MHealthy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Louis Penner, PhD , Karmanos Cancer Institute, Family Medicine/WSU School of Medicine, Detroit, MI
Lisa Berry-Bobovski, MA , Communication and Behavioral Oncology Program, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI
The Detroit Community Network Project (CNP), a five-year effort (2005-1010) to reduce disparities in breast, prostate, colorectal and lung cancers, has partnered with Detroit's Healthier Black Elders Center (HBEC) to survey the health status, healthcare service use, and cancer screening behaviors of older African Americans in Detroit. Recent epidemiological data from the Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System (SEER) show that the cancer mortality rate for older African Americans in Detroit is much higher relative to the nation, demonstrating a pattern of premature mortality. Nearly half of Detroit's seniors reside in an area federally designated as medically underserved. Further, because of age, older African Americans in Detroit face additional barriers to seeking help and using services compared to younger African Americans. Based on these initial findings, we are interviewing older African Americans in Detroit to better describe how they are doing as far as their health status, healthcare service use, and cancer screening behaviors in comparison to national trends. The research sample (N=150) will be recruited from HBEC, in conjunction with Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR) program. To assess health status and healthcare service use, we are using items from the Health and Retirement Survey (HRS; Institute of Social Research, University of Michigan). To measure cancer screening behaviors, we are using items from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) used by the National Cancer Institute. The study is ongoing, and we will report preliminary findings.

Learning Objectives:
1. Identify standardized items for assessing healthcare service use and cancer screening behaviors of older minorites. 2. Discuss how local older minority population's healthcare service use and cancer screening behaviors compare to national trends.

Keywords: Aging, African American

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I received my PhD in psychology from Wayne State University in 2006. I am the Principal Investigator on the project submitted for reveiw. Currently, I am a postdoctoral research fellow at the Karmanos Cancer Institute funded via a Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research Award from the National Cancer Institute. Thus far, I have co-authored a couple publications specific to health disparities: Penner, L., Albrecht, T., Coleman, D. K. & Norton, W. E. (in press). Interpersonal perspectives on Black-White health disparities: Social policy implications. Social Issues and Policy Review; and, Penner, L. A., Albrecht, T. L., Orom, H. A., Coleman, D. K., & Underwood, W. U. (in press). An examination of the role of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination in Black-White health disparities in the United States. In J. Dovidio, M. Hewstone, & P. Glick, (Eds.), Handbook of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination. London: Sage.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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