Lung and Colorectal Cancer Disparities in Appalachian Kentucky: Spatial Analysis on the Influence of Education and Literacy

Nicole M. Robertson, Todd Burus, Lauren Hudson, Pamela C. Hull, Lee Park and Nathan L. Vanderford ()
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Nicole M. Robertson: College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Todd Burus: Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Lauren Hudson: College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Pamela C. Hull: College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Lee Park: Department of Statistics, College of Arts and Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
Nathan L. Vanderford: College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: Low educational attainment and high cancer incidence and mortality rates have long been a challenge in Appalachian Kentucky. Prior studies have reported disparities in cancer incidence and mortality between Appalachian and non-Appalachian populations, but the influence of education on this disparity has not been extensively studied. Herein, all cancers and two cancer sites with available screenings (colorectal and lung) were joined with education indicators (educational attainment and literacy) and one geographic indicator across all 120 Kentucky counties. This dataset was used to build choropleth maps and perform simple linear and spatial regression to assess statistical significance and to measure the strength of the linear relationship between county-level education and cancer-related outcomes in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky. Among all cancer sites, age-adjusted cancer incidence and mortality was higher in Appalachian versus non-Appalachian Kentucky. The percentage of the population not completing high school was positively correlated with increased colorectal and lung cancer incidence and mortality in Appalachia. Similarly, counties with a higher percentage of the population lacking basic literacy had the strongest correlation with colorectal and lung cancer incidence and mortality, which were concentrated in Appalachian Kentucky. Our findings suggest a need for implementing interventions that increase educational attainment and enhance basic literacy as a means of improving cancer outcomes in Appalachia.

Keywords: Appalachia; cancer; rural health; cancer education; literacy; disparities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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