Abstract 4803: Cancer screening, knowledge, and fatalism among Chinese, Korean, and South Asian residents of New York City
Authors: Curro Isabel I. , Teasdale Chloe A. , Wyatt Laura , Yusuf Yousra , Foster Victoria , Sifuentes Sonia , Chebli Perla , Kranick Julie A. , Kwon Simona C. , Trinh-Shevrin Chau , LeCroy Madison N. 
Published: March 2024

Background: Asian New York City (NYC) residents have the lowest screening rates by race across cancer type. Past studies indicate heterogeneity within the Asian American population, yet few have examined differences in screening uptake and related factors among Asian ethnic subgroups in NYC. Further, cancer screening knowledge and cancer fatalism have been found to impact cancer screening uptake, and effects vary by race, ethnicity, immigration status, and cancer type.

Objective: Our study aimed to examine differences in cancer screening uptake, knowledge, and fatalism among Chinese, Korean, and South Asian NYC adults and to examine the effects of cancer screening knowledge and cancer fatalism on cancer screening uptake.

Methods: We used data from NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center’s Cancer Community Health Resources and Needs Assessment survey. The survey was developed and distributed in 10 languages in collaboration with 23 community partners. Data were collected from NYC adults with recruitment strategies focused on immigrant and non-English language preference communities from Oct. 2021 - Dec. 2022. Multivariable logistic and multinomial regression analyses were used to examine differences in breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake; breast and CRC screening knowledge; and cancer fatalism between Chinese, Korean, and South Asian (Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Asian Indian, and Nepali) adults; and to examine the effects of breast and CRC screening knowledge on breast and CRC screening uptake and cancer fatalism on breast, cervical, and CRC screening uptake (n=1,045). Analyses were restricted by age and sex using United States (U.S.) Preventive Services Task Force guidelines.

Results: The sample was 60.0% female with a mean age of 45.7 years; 83.1% of participants were born outside of the U.S., 49.9% of participants were Chinese, 22.8% were Korean, and 27.3% were South Asian. Korean women had 0.52 (95%CI: 0.31, 0.88) times lower odds of Pap test uptake than Chinese women; South Asian adults had 0.44 (95%CI: 0.24, 0.80) times lower odds of CRC screening uptake than Chinese adults. Korean adults had 1.68 (95%CI: 1.17, 2.41) times higher odds of knowing the correct age to begin having mammograms compared to Chinese adults; South Asian adults had 0.66 (95%CI: 0.46, 0.94) times lower odds of knowing the correct age to begin CRC screening compared to Chinese adults. Korean adults had a 0.39 (95%CI: 0.25, 0.63) and 0.22 (95%CI: 0.13, 0.37) times lower odds of some and high cancer fatalism, respectively, compared to Chinese adults. No associations were found between cancer screening knowledge or cancer fatalism and cancer screening uptake.

Conclusions: Our study adds to the current literature on the diversity of cancer needs, beliefs, and behaviors among Asian Americans. The findings indicate the need for ethnic-specific cultural tailoring for future cancer screening interventions.

Citation Format: Isabel I. Curro, Chloe A. Teasdale, Laura Wyatt, Yousra Yusuf, Victoria Foster, Sonia Sifuentes, Perla Chebli, Julie A. Kranick, Simona C. Kwon, Chau Trinh-Shevrin, Madison N. LeCroy. Cancer screening, knowledge, and fatalism among Chinese, Korean, and South Asian residents of New York City [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4803.