Colon Cancer Screening Rates More than Doubled with Video and Patient Support, Study Shows

Study results from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Prevention Research Center showed that 68% of study participants completed a colon cancer screening test within six months of visiting their doctor, compared to a 27% completion rate for others in the study.

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death. CDC recommends colorectal cancer screening for those ages 50-75, but millions of people are not getting screened as recommended. They are missing the chance to prevent colorectal cancer or find it early, when treatment often leads to a cure.

What Made the Difference

Researchers used a two-step approach that included having a portion of study participants watch a promotional colon cancer screening video in their doctor’s waiting room and then providing them with support from a bilingual patient assistant. Others enrolled in the study viewed a food safety video and received usual care.

Eight-five percent of the 265 study participants were Latino, black, or of mixed race, and 78% had a household income of less than $20,000. Patients were ages 50 to 75 who had average colon cancer risk and were not current with recommended colorectal cancer screenings. They spoke Spanish or English and were attending primary care visits. Sixty-two percent were uninsured or on Medicaid.

Researchers collected data from two community health centers serving vulnerable populations in New Mexico and North Carolina from January 2014 through March 2016.

Learn more about the results published in JAMA Internal Medicine and about CDC's Prevention Research Center Program.