Some of Us Don't Get It

Posting Date: 03/17/2004

Physicians of older patients are recommending cholesterol screening. In fact, more than three-fourths of all men (77%) and women (82%) over age 50 reported that their health care provider did recommend that they have a cholesterol test.

More than two-thirds of patients under the age of 40 (men [71%] and women [67%]) report that their doctor has never recommended that they have a cholesterol test.

Half of all African-Americans (52%) and Hispanics (52%) surveyed reported that their doctors have NEVER recommended cholesterol testing, compared with 43% of Caucasians.

Overall, only about one-third of all men (29%) and women (33%) surveyed under age 40 report that their health care provider has recommended that they have a cholesterol test.

Colon Cancer Screening

Forty-four percent of men and women age 50 and over have never had a colon cancer screening, though the CAP and ACS guidelines recommend a first screening at age 50.

However, 63% of men age 50 and older believe colon cancer screening should begin at age 50, while only 37% of women of this same age believe that 50 is the age to start. Most women believe screening should start earlier.

While medical guidelines recommend colon cancer screenings should begin at age 50, that message may not be reaching younger adults. Sixty-one percent of men and women under age 40 believe that they should actually start screening at age 40 or younger. And though they believe this, they are still not doing it. Of those men and women under age 40, 92% report they have never had a colon cancer screening test.

As patients get older, there is still a large portion of the population who are not getting screened. While 91% of men age 50 and over, for instance, believe that they should have had a colon cancer screening by age 50, only HALF of them (54%) say that they have actually been screened.

Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4   previous | next

Email this page  Printer Friendly Bookmark this page