ASPO Abstracts
Black and Deaf: Left behind in cancer screening
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2022
Abstract Body:
Purpose of the Study: To understand the prevalence of lifetime cancer diagnosis in a Black deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) adult sample and compare this to a Black hearing sample.Methods: The NCI's health information national trends survey (HINTS) was translated and validated in American Sign Language (ASL). The HINTS-ASL version was administered to DHH adults in U.S. Using HINTS-ASL survey for DHH adults and HINTS survey in English for hearing adults in the U.S., self-reported data was gathered for lifetime cancer as diagnosed by healthcare providers. For HINTS-ASL, a subsample of about 200 self-identified as Black DHH. This HINTS-ASL data from this Black DHH subsample was compared to NCI HINTS sample of hearing respondents who self-identified as Black (about 400).Results: The study showed that Black DHH adults had a higher likelihood for reporting lifetime cancer and comorbidity compared to their hearing Black counterparts. Far fewer Black DHH respondents who use ASL (58%) regularly see their doctors compared to Black hearing respondents (70%) even though most of both subsamples had health insurance. Conclusion: Black DHH adults are at disparity for cancer health outcomes, including primary care visits, compared to the general Black adult population. This is particularly concerning because cancer screening recommendations often come up during primary care visits. If Black DHH adults are not getting regular health care services, then they may not be receiving the necessary preventive cancer screenings recommended by the CDC. There needs to be actionable plans to address cancer health disparity in this population.
Keywords: Deaf, sign language, race