Document Type

DNP Project

Department

School of Nursing

Date of Degree

Spring 2018

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Primary Advisor

Qiuping Zhou, PhD, RN; Kathleen Griffith, PhD, RN

Abstract

Background/Problem: The Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) recommends colon cancer screening colonoscopy beginning at age 50 years and every 10 years thereafter. The purpose of this study was to compare differences in meeting the colorectal cancer (CRC) screening recommendations between male Veterans and non-Veterans and identifying any association among Veterans social economic status (SES).

Methods: A descriptive-comparative design was used to address the study question, aims and hypotheses, using the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data. A national representative sample of 20,360 Veterans and 36,183 non-Veterans between 50-74 years, were included in analysis. The associations between meeting the CRC screening recommendations among Veterans and their race/ethnicity, income, educational level and marital status were also analyzed. Chi-Square tests were used to study the relationships between dependent and independent variables.

Results: Veterans were more likely than non-Veterans to have received the recommended CRC screening in specified time intervals (76.5% vs. 64.6%; χ2=1176.66, p<0.001). There were significant differences in CRC screening rates among ethnic/racial groups with white at 70.1%, Blacks at 68.3%, and Hispanics at 62.0%, χ2=23.93, p<0.001. Veterans who were younger than 65 years, had less education (lower than high school), lower income (<35K), and not married reported lower rates of meeting CRC screening recommendations than their counterparts (p<0.001 for all comparisons).

Conclusions: Male Veterans had a higher rate of meeting CRC screening recommendations than non-Veterans and socioeconomics were significant factors. Evidence generated from study can be used to design targeted strategies to improve CRC screening among Veterans.

Open Access

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