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Colorectal Cancer Screening in US Seniors Ages 76–84 Years

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Abstract

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends patient-physician discussions about the appropriateness of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening among adults ages 76–84 years who have never been screened. In this study, we used data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey to examine patterns of CRC screening and provider recommendation among seniors ages 76–84 years, and made some comparisons to younger adults. Nationally-representative samples of 1379 adults ages 76–84 years and 8797 adults ages 50–75 years responded to questions about CRC screening status, receipt of provider recommendation, and discussion of test options; 22.7 % (95 % CI 20.1–25.3) of seniors ages 76–84 had never been tested for CRC and therefore were not up-to-date with guidelines; 3.9 % (95 % CI 2.0–7.6) of these individuals reported a recent provider recommendation for screening. In multivariate analyses, the likelihood of never having been tested was significantly greater for seniors of other/multiple race or Hispanic ethnicity; with high school or less education; without private health insurance coverage; who had ≤1 doctor visit in the past year; without recent screening for breast, cervical, or prostate cancer; with no or unknown CRC family history; or with ≤1 chronic disease. Among the minority of respondents ages 50–75 and 76–84 reporting a provider recommendation, 73.2 % indicated that the provider recommended particular tests, which was overwhelmingly colonoscopy (≥89 %). Nearly one-quarter of adults 76–84 have never been screened for CRC, and rates of provider recommendation in this group are very low. Greater attention to informed CRC screening discussions with screening-eligible seniors is needed.

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Acknowledgments

The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, and Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, provided financial support for the Cancer Control Supplement to the 2010 National Health Interview Survey through inter-agency agreements with the National Center for Health Statistics. The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Cancer Institute or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors have no conflicts of interest. We thank Timothy McNeel of Information Management Services, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, for programming support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Health Services and Economics Branch, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 3E442, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9762, USA

    Carrie N. Klabunde

  2. Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Jean A. Shapiro & Marion R. Nadel

  3. Behavioral Research Program, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, National Cancer Institute, 9609 Medical Center Drive, Room 3E524, Bethesda, MD, 20892-9761, USA

    Sarah Kobrin

  4. Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Jane M. Zapka

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  1. Carrie N. Klabunde
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Correspondence to Carrie N. Klabunde.

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Klabunde, C.N., Shapiro, J.A., Kobrin, S. et al. Colorectal Cancer Screening in US Seniors Ages 76–84 Years. J Community Health 40, 769–779 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-9998-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-015-9998-z

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