240342 Awareness of Colorectal Cancer Screening among Elder Medicare Beneficiaries

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Lin Fan , School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Katia Noyes, PhD, MPH , Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH , University of Rochester Medical Center, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Community & Preventive Medicine, Rochester, NY
Supriya Mohile , School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Ning Zhang , Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine, Rochester, NY
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces mortality from CRC. However, screening rates among Medicare beneficiaries remain low. Objective: To examine the awareness of CRC screening tests among elderly beneficiaries and to identify risk factors for low CRC screening awareness. Methods: Using 2005 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS), we examined the awareness rate for FOBT and colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy and compared awareness rates among different subpopulations by race, ethnicity, education, annual household income, and supplemental health insurance status. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified independent risk factors for low awareness. Weights were used to provide nationally representative estimates. Results: Our sample included 11850 beneficiaries. Approximately 23% beneficiaries hadn't heard about FOBT, 10% hadn't heard about sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, and 6% hadn't heard of either. Rates of non-awareness of either screening methods were as follows: non-whites (30%), Hispanics (15%), low education (

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related education

Learning Objectives:
To examine the awareness of CRC screening tests among elderly beneficiaries and to identify risk factors for low CRC screening awareness.

Keywords: Cancer Screening, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I initiated the project,did all the analysis and wrote the abstract
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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