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Cancer Screening Patterns by Weight Group and Gender for Urban African American Church Members

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Abstract

Obese white women have lower rates of cancer screening compared to non-obese women. This study will determine if a relationship exists between weight and adherence to cancer screening guidelines among African Americans. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine the relationship between being up-to-date with cancer screening (colorectal, breast, cervical, and prostate) and weight group (normal, overweight, obese I, obese II+) using data from older (age 50+) members (N = 955) of 20 African American churches in Michigan and North Carolina. CRC testing rates were examined using multiple definitions to account for differences in screening rates vs. polyp surveillance rates. After adjusting for confounders, we found relationships between weight group and up-to-date CRC (P = 0.04) and PSA (P = 0.004) testing for men and mammography (P = 0.03) for women. Compared to normal-weight men, obese I men were more likely to be up-to-date with CRC (OR 2.35, 95%CI 1.02–5.40) and PSA (OR 4.24 95%CI 1.77–10.17) testing. CRC screening rates were lower when individuals with polyps were excluded from the analysis; however, patterns by weight remained the same. Contrary to previous research, we did not find lower rates of cancer screening among obese African Americans. Instead, we found that normal-weight African American men had lower screening rates than any other group. As we did not consistently find lower screening rates among obese African Americans, targeting this group for increased screening promotion may not be the most effective way to reduce weight-related cancer disparities.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (3-U48-DP000059-02S1). Dr. Leone is supported by the Cancer Health Disparities Training Program (1T32CA128582-01ZAZ). Dr. Pignone is supported by a National Cancer Institute Career Development Award (K05 CA129166).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 725 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., CB#7590, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7590, USA

    Lucia A. Leone

  2. Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., CB#7294, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7294, USA

    Marlyn Allicock, Joan F. Walsh & Marci K. Campbell

  3. Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 5039 Old Cable Building, CB# 7110, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7110, USA

    Michael P. Pignone

  4. Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1700 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., CB#7294, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7294, USA

    La-Shell Johnson

Authors
  1. Lucia A. Leone
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  2. Marlyn Allicock
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  3. Michael P. Pignone
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  4. La-Shell Johnson
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  5. Joan F. Walsh
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  6. Marci K. Campbell
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Correspondence to Lucia A. Leone.

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Leone, L.A., Allicock, M., Pignone, M.P. et al. Cancer Screening Patterns by Weight Group and Gender for Urban African American Church Members. J Community Health 37, 299–306 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9445-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-011-9445-8

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