Workers at small firms less apt to get cancer screening

Employees at companies with fewer than 25 workers are less likely to be screened for cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer, according to research conducted by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and published online October 5 in Preventive Medicine.

A team led by Stacey Fedewa, PhD, used 2010, 2013, and 2015 data from National Health Interview Surveys for U.S. workers. The researchers found that screening prevalence among this subgroup of American employees was 84% for cervical cancer, 68.9% for breast cancer, and 56.8% for colorectal cancer.

People in food service, construction, and sales jobs were up to 26%, 28%, and 30% less likely, respectively, to undergo these screening tests compared with healthcare professionals -- although, after the researchers adjusted for socioeconomic factors and insurance status, most of this difference was eliminated.

The findings suggest that disparities in cancer screening by occupational characteristics are mostly due to lower socioeconomic status and lack of insurance, and the results underscore a need for new public health strategies to improve cancer screening in this particular population, Fedewa and colleagues concluded.