RACIAL DIFFERENCES IN COLON/PROSTATE CANCER SCREENING BETWEEN LATINOS AND WHITES
Rationale/Conceptual Basis/Background: Prostate and colorectal cancer are most common causes of mortality among American men. Research shows that most of the burden associated with incidence and mortality is shared by the minority populations. The factors associated with this share of burden include age, socioeconomic status, education, and health insurance coverage. In addition, lack of awareness and communication with a healthcare provider, are key barriers for cancer screening. Cancer fatalism has been shown to be a barrier to screening in Latino men.
Methods: Using the 2014 Health Information National Trends Survey, we conducted logistic regression to examine racial difference in whether the respondent (1) had ever had tests to check for colon cancer, and (2) had ever had a PSA test. Sociodemographic variables (e.g., age, education, health insurance coverage) and other associated factors (e.g., communication with healthcare providers about screening, cancer fatalism) were included in the model to understand their relationships with the outcomes.
Results: The sample included 203 male Latino Americans (LAs) (M age=51.80, SD=15.49) and 874 male Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) (M age=56.25, SD=16.15). Comparing groups, LAs showed lower colorectal (13.8%) and prostate cancer screening rates (12.8%) than NHWs (79.8%, 83.1% respectively). Controlling for sociodemographic and other associated factors, the findings suggested that both groups were more likely to have had a PSA test when healthcare providers ever talked about PSA test with participants (OR = 2.33; p < .001). Communication with healthcare providers about colorectal cancer screening was not significant for both groups.
Implications: Findings suggest an urgent need to increase colorectal and prostate cancer screening rates in Latino communities. Research shows that the quality of the communication regarding the PSA test with healthcare providers is critical for designing effective interventions to increase prostate screening rates. A different profile was found for colorectal cancer screening, which suggests other factors may be more important to explore for interventions to increase colon cancer screening. Nurses can benefit from a greater understanding of the factors that contribute to cancer screening in the Latino Male population, and play a vital role in the cancer screening process, contributing to effective health teaching and proactive communication with patients to increase screening rates.