Partly attributed to the lack of screenings, "West Virginians are more likely than residents of any other state to die from the second-most common form of cancer," The Associated Press reports.
AP's Tom Breen culls from a recent report by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to find that "about 22 West Virginians per 100,000 residents die every year from colorectal cancer," while "nationally, the average fatality rate is 17.8 per 100,000."
Nancy Roach with the Colorectal Cancer Coalition told Breen that "the main reason more West Virginians are not screened is a lack of health insurance... More than 245,000 West Virginians are uninsured."
2 comments:
I wonder if these numbers have been properly adjusted for the age of residents. Since West Virginia has one of the oldest populations, I'd expect it to be high on many cancer lists based on age alone.
This story fits right with the prevous post on income inequality in WV. adjusting for EVERYTHING, including lack of insurance, poverty rates, access to care, and diet, etc. -- degree of income inequality is one of the strongest predictors of poorer health outcomes in the lowermost groups. that's true in poor and rich countries, with and without universal health insurance. being on the bottom rungs of a tall income ladder is an important independent risk factor, especially for longevity. study after study has found this.
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