Abstract 4786: Colorectal cancer screening rates among deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing adults aged 45 to 75 years old

Abstract

Abstract Background: Deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing (DDBHH) individuals who use American Sign Language (ASL), a subpopulation of the disability, experience disparities concerning cancer screening and cancer-related health outcomes. For this study, we explored colorectal cancer screening rates among DDBHH survey respondents in comparison to rates found in the hearing population. Materials and Methods: Using the National Cancer Institute Health Information National Trends Survey in ASL (Kushalnagar et al., 2015), we surveyed participants 18+ years old using the Center for Deaf Health Equity at Gallaudet University’s database of over 2,500 DDBHH participants from all over the USA, including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. We used the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) guidelines’ age cutoffs to assess adherence to colorectal cancer screenings. Results: Survey response rate within three weeks of mail out in July 2023 was 12%. A total of 405 DDBHH adult participants answered screening questions for colorectal cancer in ASL and English. Overall, 43.7% self-reported screening adherence for age-eligible (45-75 years) colorectal cancer screening; 54.7% reported never having a colorectal cancer screening. Similarly-aged hearing adults reported 58.7% adherence in the English version of the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Discussion: With the 43.7% adherence rate, the DDBHH community is lagging behind colorectal cancer screenings compared to the general population of hearing adults. Estimating the colorectal cancer screening rates among the DBHH community and understanding the reasons for these existing disparities is important to achieve screening adherence of 68.3%, the target set by the Healthy People 2030. Such research will aid the Center for Deaf Health Equity to actively work with the community to improve strategies to increase colorectal cancer screening. Citation Format: Regina M. Wang, Sowmya R. Rao, Erika J. Bergeron, Emmanuel C. Perrodin-Njoku, Poorna Kushalnagar. Colorectal cancer screening rates among deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing adults aged 45 to 75 years old [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4786.