Cancer Screening among Rural People Who Use Drugs: Colliding Risks and Barriers

Wiley D. Jenkins, Jennifer Rose, Yamile Molina, Minjee Lee, Rebecca Bolinski, Georgia Luckey and Brent Van Ham
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Wiley D. Jenkins: Department of Population Science and Policy, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL 62794, USA
Jennifer Rose: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
Yamile Molina: Division of Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
Minjee Lee: Department of Population Science and Policy, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, IL 62794, USA
Rebecca Bolinski: Department of Sociology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
Georgia Luckey: Department of Family and Community Medicine, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA
Brent Van Ham: Center for Rural Health and Social Services Development, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-13

Abstract: Rural cancer disparities are associated with lesser healthcare access and screening adherence. The opioid epidemic may increase disparities as people who use drugs (PWUD) frequently experience healthcare-associated stigmatizing experiences which discourage seeking routine care. Rural PWUD were recruited to complete surveys and interviews exploring cancer (cervical, breast, colorectal, lung) risk, screening history, and healthcare experiences. From July 2020–July 2021 we collected 37 surveys and 8 interviews. Participants were 24.3% male, 86.5% White race, and had a mean age of 44.8 years. Females were less likely to report seeing a primary care provider on a regular basis, and more likely to report stigmatizing healthcare experiences. A majority of females reporting receiving recommendations and screens for cervical and breast cancer, but only a minority were adherent. Similarly, only a minority of males and females reported receiving screening tests for colorectal and lung cancer. Screening rates for all cancers were substantially below those for the US generally and rural areas specifically. Interviews confirmed stigmatizing healthcare experiences and suggested screening barriers and possible solutions. The opioid epidemic involves millions of individuals and is disproportionately experienced in rural communities. To avoid exacerbating existing rural cancer disparities, methods to engage PWUD in cancer screening need to be developed.

Keywords: rural cancer disparities; rural cancer screening; cancer screening and adherence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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