The rate of colon cancer and colon cancer-related deaths were higher among African-Americans than any other racial group in 2010 despite reporting high rates of screenings.
That's according to the second of what will be periodic reports by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exploring the relationship between income, education level, sex and race to health and health outcomes.
In its Health Disparities and Inequalities Report (PDF), released Thursday, the CDC looked at disparities in health, including access to healthcare chronic disease rates and worker-related injuries and illnesses.
The CDC found the rate of African-Americans with colon cancer was 53 per 100,000 compared with 43 per 100,000 among whites. The number of colon cancer deaths among blacks was also the highest at 23 per 100,000, compared with 16 per 100,000 among whites.
Hispanics were found to have nearly half the incidence of colon cancer compared with blacks at 37 per 100,000, as well as the lowest rate of colon cancer-related deaths at 12 per 100,000 despite having the lowest rate of cancer screenings at 51% in 2010, compared with 64% among blacks and 66% among whites.
Insurance status was a determining factor for the frequency of screenings, with 67% of insured people reporting colon-cancer screening compared with 35% among the uninsured. Those with higher incomes were likelier to get screenings in 2010 than those with lower incomes. Only 47% of those making up to $15,000 a year reported getting screened, compared with 73% among those whose annual incomes exceeded $75,000.
“Better health for all Americans depends on focusing our efforts where they're needed most,” CDC Director Dr. Tom Frieden said. “This kind of information helps us target health programs and promotes accountability for improving health equity at the federal, state and local level.”
The colon-cancer data was taken from the CDC's National Program of Cancer Registries and the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program.
Other findings from the report include an 18% drop in the overall birth rate among teens 15 to 19 years old between 2007 and 2010, as well as a 58% decrease in the rate of cases of tuberculosis in 2010 compared with 1992.
Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHSjohnson
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