Publication date: Jul 16, 2026
From 1990 to 2020, cancer screening rates in the United States steadily rose, but disparities persisted. Cancer screening was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, possibly worsening disparities. We utilized a longitudinal cohort of age-eligible adults to examine pre-pandemic (2015-16) and late-pandemic (2021-23) cancer screening rates to evaluate health disparities. This is a study of participants who completed National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) surveys in 2015-16 and 2021-23. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses to measure differences by age, gender, race and ethnicity, education level, marital status, and income in screening for colorectal, prostate and breast cancer. We studied data from 2,585 NSHAP participants who completed both surveys. Self-reported past-year colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer screening rates completed with colonoscopies, mammograms, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, respectively. The proportion of respondents completing colonoscopies, mammograms, and PSA testing did not change across surveys. Younger individuals (aged
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| Concepts | Keywords |
|---|---|
| cancer screening | |
| COVID-19 pandemic | |
| epidemiology | |
| older adults |
Semantics
| Type | Source | Name |
|---|---|---|
| disease | MESH | COVID-19 Pandemic |
| disease | MESH | Cancer |
| disease | MESH | breast cancer |
| pathway | KEGG | Breast cancer |
| disease | MESH | prostate cancer |
| pathway | KEGG | Prostate cancer |
| disease | MESH | PSA |