ASPO Abstracts
Prevalence and predictors of access to prostate cancer screening among New York City Taxi/For-Hire-Vehicle (FHV) Drivers
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2022
Abstract Body:
PURPOSE: To enable early detection of prostate cancer, the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends conducting PSA screening for at-risk populations. However, screening rates are often lower in underrepresented populations. Examining predictors of screening access among the underserved could help to determine needed points of intervention for cancer control programs. Taxi and for-hire vehicle (FHV) drivers, a mainly male, immigrant, and low-income group, with lack of access to healthcare and employer-sponsored health insurance, and with established and postulated prostate cancer risk factors related to age, race/ethnicity, physical inactivity, diet, and obesity, likely face screening inequities. METHODS: Between 2018-2020, a cross-sectional survey was administered in English, Bengali, French and Spanish to 380 NY taxi/FHV drivers to determine 1) ACS guideline-concordant prostate cancer screening rates and 2) screening predictors using a multivariate logistic model. RESULTS: Mean age was 55 years (SD=7). 92.9% were born outside the US; common regions of origin were Sub-Saharan Africa (39.6%), South Asia (16.2%), Latin/South America (15.2%), and the Caribbean (14.9%). Of the 380 drivers, 95.6% were screening-eligible, yet only 20.3% reported ever getting a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. Among participants who completed any screening (n=113), most had received a PSA test (52.2%) or both a PSA test and a digital rectal exam (DRE) (15.9%) during their most recent prostate cancer screening. 31.9% received only a DRE. 51.6% (n=196) of all participants had primary care providers (PCPs), while 68.8% of participants who received PSA or PSA and DRE had PCPs. Among participants who received a PSA or a PSA and DRE, participants with a primary care provider were more than twice as likely to have ever completed prostate cancer screening (2.42 OR; 95% CI [1.3, 4.65]; p<.05). Other demographic and healthcare factors were not significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: There are over 650,000 taxi/FHV drivers across the US. NY screening rates are low among this at-risk group. Targeted interventions should be developed to increase prostate cancer screening among taxi/FHV drivers, to promote equitable prostate cancer outcomes, with a focus on navigating drivers into primary care.
Keywords: œProstate cancer screening" "œhealthcare access" "œImmigrant health"