Associations Between Transportation Barriers in the Context of Other Social Needs and Cancer Screening Adherence

作     者：Anna M. Morenz Gloria Coronado Lingmei Zhou Celia Valenzuela Joshua M. Liao 

作者机构：Department of Medicine University of Arizona Tucson AZ Cancer Prevention and Control Program University of Arizona Cancer Center Tucson AZ Program on Policy Evaluation and Learning in the Pacific Northwest University of Washington Seattle WA Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health University of Arizona Tucson AZ Department of Medicine University of Washington Seattle WA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology University of Arizona Tucson AZ Department of Internal Medicine University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dallas TX 

出 版 物：《AJPM Focus》 

年 卷 期：2025年

主　　题：cancer screening transportation barriers social needs women’s health 

摘      要：Introduction Socioeconomic inequities in breast and cervical cancer screening persist and may be driven by unmet social needs, such as transportation barriers. The association between transportation barriers and screening adherence, while adjusting for other social needs, remains poorly characterized. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of 2023 National Health Interview Survey data was conducted from October to December 2024. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between transportation barriers and breast and cervical cancer screening adherence. Results A total of 5851 (survey-weighted 42.3 million) and 8461 (survey-weighted 78.6 million) individuals were eligible for breast and cervical cancer screening, respectively. In adjusted analyses, transportation barriers were associated with lower likelihood of breast cancer screening (adjusted OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5-0.9) but no difference in the likelihood of cervical cancer screening (adjusted OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.7-1.1). Low income, lack of health insurance, and low levels of formal education were also associated with lower adherence for both breast and cervical cancer screening. Conclusion After accounting for other social needs, transportation barriers are associated with lower likelihood of breast cancer screening – an inequity that may benefit from public health and health care interventions. Additional work is needed to understand the relationship between socioeconomic status and cervical cancer screening adherence to inform future interventions.