Colon Cancer Screenings Still Too Low
SEPTEMBER 17, 2009Despite highly publicized education campaigns and widespread agreement about the importance of colorectal cancer screening, only 61 percent of Americans who should be screened do so. Rates for minorities, the uninsured and other vulnerable groups are lower still, with only 22 percent of lower-income people served by a "safety net" health system in Texas being screened. Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor of Epidemiology and of Nursing, comments in a HealthDay News service article, which was posted by US News & World Report. She says that the study documents some of the barriers to colorectal cancer screening: "The idea that colorectal cancer screening rates are too low is not a new idea, but this is one of the first to document it in a specific population. Access to care clearly has consequences, and any talk of health care reform needs to address proven prevention measures like screening."
