TY  - JOUR
AU  - Song, Ethan Y.
AU  - Swanson, Justin
AU  - Patel, Artish
AU  - MacDonald, Madeline
AU  - Aponte, Alexandra
AU  - Ayoubi, Noura
AU  - Guerra, Lucy
AU  - Gonzalez, Eduardo
AU  - Mhaskar, Rahul
AU  - Mirza, Abu-Sayeef
PY  - 2021
TI  - Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors and Screening Among the Uninsured of Tampa Bay: A Free Clinic Study
T2  - Preventing Chronic Disease
JO  - Prev Chronic Dis
SP  - E16
VL  - 18
CY  - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.
N2  - INTRODUCTION  Uninsured patients with low socioeconomic status are at high risk for developing colorectal cancer (CRC), and data on risk factors and prevalence of CRC in this population are limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the risk factors for CRC in uninsured patients from free clinics in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. METHODS  We conducted a retrospective cohort study among patients 50 years or older who were provided service at 9 free clinics in the Tampa Bay area between 2016 and 2018. Demographics, chronic disease characteristics, and screening data were collected via a query of paper and electronic medical records. RESULTS  Of the 13,982 patients seen, 5,139 (36.8%) were aged 50 years or older. Most were female (56.8%), non-Hispanic White (41.1%), and unemployed (54.9%). Patients with CRC screening were more likely to be employed compared with patients without CRC screening (54.4% vs 44.4%, P = .01). Within the cohort, 725 (22.7%) patients were active smokers, 771 (29.2%) patients currently consumed alcohol, and 23 patients (0.4%) had a history of inflammatory bowel disease. Patients had a median body mass index of 29.4 (interquartile range, 25.4-34.2) kg/m2, and 1,455 (28.3%) had diabetes. Documented CRC screening was found among 341 (6.6%) patients. CONCLUSION  Uninsured patients had a high prevalence of CRC risk factors but a low reported screening rate for CRC. Free clinics are uniquely positioned to provide patients at high risk for CRC with strategies to decrease their risk and to be screened for CRC.
SN  - 1545-1151
UR  - https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.200496
DO  - 10.5888/pcd18.200496
ER  -