We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Age-related disparities in cancer screening: analysis of 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data.
- Authors
Jerant, Anthony F.; Franks, Peter; Jackson, J. Elizabeth; Doescher, Mark P.
- Abstract
<bold>Purpose: </bold>Although few studies have explored age-related health care disparities, some researchers have asserted such disparities uniformly disfavor the elderly and are largely attributable to ageism in the health care system. We compared age-related patterns of screening for colorectal cancer with those for breast and prostate cancer in persons aged 50 years and older.<bold>Methods: </bold>We analyzed data for all adults aged 50 years and older (N = 88,213) in the 2001 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a nationally representative, telephone-administered survey of personal health behaviors. Main outcome measures were adjusted prevalence by 5-year age-groups of colorectal cancer screening using fecal occult blood testing, flexible sigmoidoscopy, or colonoscopy for men and women; rates of mammography screening for women; and rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening for men.<bold>Results: </bold>After adjustment for race/ethnicity, education level, income, health insurance, and self-rated health, predicted reported colorectal cancer screening (all modalities) increased significantly from when patients reached age 50 years until 70 to 74 years (66.0%, standard error [SE] 0.8%), remained constant until age 80 years, and then declined. The age-related gain in colorectal cancer screening was confined to whites among patients older than 60 years. Reported PSA screening increased until age 75 to 79 years (79.3%, SE 1.1%) and then declined, whereas reported mammography screening peaked at age 55 to 59 years (83.3%, SE 1.2%) and then declined.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Significant age-related disparities appear to exist for both evidence-based and non-evidence-based cancer-screening interventions. The issue of age-related disparities in cancer screening is complex, with the direction of disparity favoring the elderly for some services yet disfavoring them for others.
- Subjects
CALIFORNIA; MEDICAL screening; AGEISM; COLON cancer; BREAST cancer; PROSTATE cancer; MEDICAL care
- Publication
Annals of Family Medicine, 2004, Vol 2, Issue 5, p481
- ISSN
1544-1709
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1370/afm.118