A Comparison of Colorectal Cancer Screening Uptake Among Average-Risk Insured American Indian/Alaska Native and White Women

Introduction. American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women have among the lowest rates of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. Whether screening disparities persist with equal access to health care is unknown. Methods. Using administrative data from 1996–2007, we compared CRC screening events for 286 AI/AN and 14,042 White women aged 50 years and older from a health maintenance organization in the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. Results. The proportion of AI/AN and White women screened for CRC at age 50 was similar (13.3% vs. 14.0%, p =.74). No differences were seen in the type of screening test. Time elapsed to first screening among AI/AN women who were not screened at age 50 did not differ from White women (hazard ratio 1.0, 95% confidence interval 0.8–1.3). Conclusions. Uptake for CRC screening was similar among insured AI/AN and White women, suggesting that when access to care is equal, racial disparities in screening diminish.