The impact of social determinants on receipt of colonoscopy in an under-resourced hospital service area: A retrospective cohort study.

Abstract

216 Background: Although colorectal cancer (CRC) screening with colonoscopy reduces the risk of CRC mortality, screening rates remain low among African Americans and low social economic status (SES) patients. However, few studies have assessed CRC screening rates in under-resourced hospital service areas. Using a granular measure of socioeconomic deprivation (SED), we examined the association between social determinants and CRC screening. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2014-2019 to identify primary care patients referred for CRC screening with colonoscopy at an academic hospital system. Patients were assessed at annual visits for completion of colonoscopy. SED was assessed using the area deprivation index (ADI), a composite measure of 17 SED indicators including income, housing, education, and employment at the census block group level. Other social determinants analyzed were race and insurance status. Frequency and multivariable logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. Results: 1040 patients met CRC screening guidelines and were referred for colonoscopy. 136 (13.1%) underwent colonoscopy in the follow-up period. High and low SED made up 655 (63%) and 77 (7.4%) of patients, respectively. SED, race, age, and sex were not associated with higher screening rates. Uninsured patients had a lower rate of screening. After controlling for other social determinants, uninsured patients had the lowest odds of colonoscopy (OR 0.28; 95% CI, 0.08-0.92). Conclusions: In this under-resourced hospital service area, receipt of colonoscopy for CRC screening is significantly lower than previously reported. Furthermore, screening rates were persistently low across strata of SED, race and insurance status, with uninsured patients having the lowest odds of screening. These data suggest that in an under-resourced hospital service area with extensive SED, further research is needed to understand the role of social determinants and behavioral factors to address disparities in CRC screening with colonoscopy. [Table: see text]