Abstract 4249: Disparities in cancer screening between Latino and non-Latino firefighters: Evidence from the Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative
Authors: Caban-Martinez Alberto J. , Solle Natasha Schaefer , Koru-Sengul Tulay , Santiago Katerina M. , Moore Kevin J. , Miao Feng , Lee David J. , Kobetz Erin N. 
Published: August 2018

Firefighters face an increased risk for work-related exposures to hazardous environmental carcinogens during fire incidence response. A growing body of epidemiologic studies suggest that firefighter site-specific cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher when compared to the general US population. As the fastest-growing ethnic subgroup in the US, Latinos have been increasingly represented in the first responder workforce. Latinos relative to non-Latinos vary in cancer-related risk factors including rates of smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity patterns, and rates of cancer morbidity and mortality. Despite these differences in risk factors, there is limited literature on the cancer screening behavior of Latino firefighters who may be at an increased risk for cancer. In the present study, we characterize sociodemographic and work characteristics in addition to cancer screening behaviors between Latino and non-Latino active firefighters. The Annual Cancer Survey (ACS) research project of the Firefighter Cancer Initiative launched with a 127-item comprehensive cancer questionnaire administered online to a non-probabilistic sample of firefighters employed in South Florida. We present ACS data collected during the first 12-months of this cross-sectional, convenience sample. Firefighters were invited and consented by the study team to complete the ACS using a secure iPad device during their regular work shift. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to predict history of cancer screening behaviors. Among the 3,152 study participants, the mean age was 40.4 years (± 9.1 years standard deviation), 34.3% were Latino, 10% female, and had been employed on average 14.0 years (± 8.6) as a firefighter. The number of Latino firefighters who had not seen a doctor in the past 12 months (5.1%) or visited a primary care physician for routine care (25.5%) was significantly more relative to non-Latino Firefighters (4.2% and 19.3%, respectively; both p&lt;0.01). Across cancer screening behaviors, the number of Latino firefighters who ever had a PSA test to screen for prostate cancer (24.7% vs 38.1%, p&lt;0.01) and a colonoscopy (20.0% vs. 29.0%, p&lt;0.01) was significantly less than non-Latino firefighters. Latino firefighters are significantly less likely than their non-Latino colleagues to report a full body skin exam by their doctor (adjusted odds ratio 0.35; 95% CI 0.29-0.42) while controlling for age, gender, race, educational attainment, household income, health insurance type, routine access to primary care and tenure as a firefighter. Florida firefighters of Latino ethnicity tend to participate less in routine cancer screening practices. Strategies at the fire station or at the individual worker-level are needed to improve cancer screening disparities within this high-risk minority workforce.

Citation Format: Alberto J. Caban-Martinez, Natasha Schaefer Solle, Tulay Koru-Sengul, Katerina M. Santiago, Kevin J. Moore, Feng Miao, David J. Lee, Erin N. Kobetz. Disparities in cancer screening between Latino and non-Latino firefighters: Evidence from the Sylvester Firefighter Cancer Initiative [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4249.