Colon cancer causes about 11 percent of cancer deaths among Hispanic-Latino males and nine percent among Hispanic-Latina females, according to the American Gastroenterological Association.
There are many possible obstacles to colon cancer screening in the Hispanic-Latino population, including language barriers.
Researchers enrolled nearly 700 Spanish-speaking adults in Providence, in a 28-month program that included outreach and guidance by a Spanish-speaking health navigator of Hispanic-Latino origin.
KJZZ reported that 85 percent of residents identifying as Hispanic or Latino got colonoscopies, and 90 percent said they wouldn’t have done so without the program.
A recent study in the journal Cancer suggests culturally tailored programs might help raise colonoscopy rates among Hispanic-Latino adults.
Experts find factors like cultural beliefs, language barriers, and limits imposed by work, insurance and transportation are the root cause for the lack of screenings.
Colorectal cancer ranks as the group’s second leading cause of cancer deaths.
Publisher’s Note: this story is an aggregate from Culturally tailored programs can boost colonoscopy rates among Hispanic adults.