Korean-Americans At Risk of Undetected Colon Cancer
Despite increased education about preventive health care throughout the United States, there continue to be portions of the population which are underserved in this area of medicine. One
recent study took a look at the fact that Korean-Americans are much less likely than others in America to get screening for
colon cancer. As a result, the disease is more likely to cause damage and fatalities in this population (due to late-stage detection).
The study reviewed the reasons that this population seems to remain underserved and found the following to be the most likely factors:
- Failure of
physicians to recommend screenings and / or lack of knowledge regarding location of test sites..
- Language barriers and related concerns that don't get expressed.
- Fear of being a burden on the family by getting "unnecessary" treatments.
- Lack of health insurance and / or money to pay for screenings.
The study suggests that physicians working with a Korean-American population should take care to make sure that their patients understand the importance of screening and have the resources to get the screening done.
Question of the Day: Which other populations in America do you suspect are underserved when it comes to preventive health care?photo link
