Trends in self-reported health care provider recommendations for colorectal cancer screening by race

Abstract Objective To examine whether a racial difference exists in self-reported recommendations for colorectal cancer screening from a health care provider, and whether this difference has changed over time. Method Secondary analysis of the 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 Maryland Cancer Surveys, cross-sectional population-based random-digit-dial surveys on cancer screening. Participants were 11,368 White and 2495 Black Maryland residents age ≥ 50 years. Results For each race, recommendations for colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy increased over time (67%–83% for Whites, 57%–74% for Blacks; p  Conclusion Whites were more likely than Blacks to report ever receiving a provider recommendation for colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy. Although the proportion of patients receiving recommendations for colonoscopy/sigmoidoscopy increased over time, the gap between races remained unchanged.