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Cancer Screening Differences Among Muslims and Non-Muslims: Insights from the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study

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Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

While cancer screening disparities along socioeconomic and racial/ethnic lines are well studied, differences based on religious affiliation are under-researched. Though diverse in terms of race/ethnicity, Muslim Americans appear to share values and beliefs that similarly inform their health and healthcare seeking behaviors. Cancer screening disparities among Muslim Americans are also understudied.

Methods

To examine differences in cancer screening behaviors based on Muslim affiliation, we analyzed data from a longitudinal cohort study examining lifestyle, healthcare access, environmental, and genetic factors on the health of Chicagoans.

Results

Of 7552 participants, 132 (1.7%) were Muslim. Between Muslim and non-Muslims, there were no significant differences in prostate, cervical, and breast cancer screening rates, but Muslims were less likely to undergo colorectal cancer screening. When differences in obesity and insurance status were accounted for in a multivariate regression model, religious affiliation was no longer significantly associated with screening rates.

Discussion

Religious values can influence cancer screening behaviors; hence, tracking cancer screening along religious lines may illuminate previously unknown disparities. Our analysis of a predominately African American cohort of Chicagoans, however, did not reveal religious affiliation to predict cancer screening disparities.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the dedicated COMPASS field staff and community partners for their support of this work. We also thank the IPPH research team, including Paul Zakin, Sameep Shah, and in particular Andrew Craver for their support with the data and analysis.

Funding

This research was supported by funding from the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and the University of Chicago Institute for Population and Precision Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Amry M. Majeed

  2. Initiative On Islam and Medicine, Brookfield, WI, USA

    Amry M. Majeed, Zeeshan A. Khan & Aasim I. Padela

  3. Institute for Population and Precision Health, the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Muhammad G. Kibriya & Habibul Ahsan

  4. Comprehensive Cancer Center, the University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy, Muhammad G. Kibriya, Habibul Ahsan & Aasim I. Padela

  5. Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA

    Aasim I. Padela

Authors
  1. Amry M. Majeed
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  2. Zeeshan A. Khan
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  3. Briseis Aschebrook-Kilfoy
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  4. Muhammad G. Kibriya
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  6. Aasim I. Padela
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aasim I. Padela.

Ethics declarations

The authors have no conflict(s) of interest to disclose. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants listed in the study. All study procedures and materials were reviewed and approved by the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division Institutional Review Board Committee A (approval IRB12-1660).

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Majeed, A.M., Khan, Z.A., Aschebrook-Kilfoy, B. et al. Cancer Screening Differences Among Muslims and Non-Muslims: Insights from the Chicago Multiethnic Prevention and Surveillance Study. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 10, 176–182 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01208-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-021-01208-z

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