Differences in up-to-date colorectal and cervical cancer screening rates by ethnicity and preferred language: An analysis across patient-, clinic-, and area-level data sources

Research objective: There is interest in using clinic- and area-level data to inform cancer control, but it is unclear what value these sources may add in combination with patient-level data sources. This study aimed to investigate associations of up-to-date colorectal and cervical cancer screenings at community health centers (CHCs) with ethnicity and language variables at patient-, clinic-, and area-levels, while exploring whether patient-level associations differed based on clinic-level patient language and ethnicity distributions.

Study design: This was a cross-sectional study using data from multiple sources, including electronic health records, clinic patient panel data, and area-level demographic data. The study sample included English-preferring Hispanic, Spanish-preferring Hispanic, English-preferring non-Hispanic, and non-English-preferring non-Hispanic patients eligible for either colorectal cancer (N = 98,985) or cervical cancer (N = 129,611) screenings in 2019 from 130 CHCs in the OCHIN network in CA, OR, and WA.

Population studied: The study population consisted of adults aged 45+ eligible for colorectal cancer screening and adults with a cervix aged 25-65 eligible for cervical cancer screening.

Principal findings: Spanish-preferring Hispanic patients were significantly more likely to be up-to-date with colorectal and cervical cancer screenings than other groups. Patients seen at clinics with higher concentrations of Spanish-preferring Hispanics were significantly more likely to be up-to-date, as were individuals residing in areas with higher percentages of Spanish-speaking residents. Differential associations between patient ethnicity and language and up-to-date colorectal cancer screenings were greater among patients seen at clinics with higher concentrations of Spanish-preferring Hispanics.

Conclusions: The findings highlight that Spanish-speaking Hispanics seen in CHCs have higher rates of up-to-date cervical and colorectal cancer screenings than other groups and that this relationship is stronger at clinics with higher percentages of Spanish-preferring Hispanic patients. Our findings suggest area-level variables are not good substitutions for patient-level data, but variables at the clinic patient panel-level are more informative.