PHMC Household Survey Finds That Many Men in SEPA Who Are Not Screened for Prostate Cancer Are Uninsured and Lack a Regular Source of Care

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2014
Contact: Veronica Mikitka Reed, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., 215.434.7194

 

Data coincides with National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month to raise awareness of the importance of screening in Southeastern PA

PHILADELPHIA— Only 19 percent of men (ages 45 and over) in Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) without insurance had a prostate cancer screening in the past year, according to data from the 2012 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, a survey conducted by Public Health Management Corporation's (PHMC's) Community Health Data Base. In addition, only 23.6 percent of men without a regular source of care have been screened in the past year.

This September we celebrate National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, sponsored by the Prostate Health Council of the American Foundation for Urological Disease that works to educate men on prostate disease, treatment and maintaining prostate health. Nationally, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men (after skin cancer). Positively, the American Cancer Society reports there are more than 2.5 million survivors across the nation. This valuable information demonstrates how important it is for men to prioritize prostate cancer screenings for early detection and treatment.

The SEPA Household Health Survey data below illustrates how economic barriers and lack of a regular care provider impacts prostate screenings, while also demonstrating the characteristics of men who have a higher risk of cancer in the region.

Prostate Cancer Screenings in Southeastern Pennsylvania:
- Only 19 percent of men ages 45 and over without public or private insurance had a prostate cancer screening in the past year. In comparison, the majority of insured men 45+ (56.9%) had a prostate cancer screening in the past year.
- Less than one-quarter of men age 45+ without a regular source of care (23.6%) have been screened in the past year, compared to more than one-half of men with a regular source of care (57.3%).
- Men age 45+ with incomes below the federal poverty level were less likely than non-poor men age 45+ to have had a prostate cancer screening in the past year (39.6% vs. 56%).
- Men who are at higher risk for prostate cancer, such as black men ages 45 and over, are only slightly less likely than white men to have had a prostate cancer screening in the past year (54.3% vs. 56.1%).
- Married and divorced men (58.3% and 57.7%) are more likely than men living with a partner (44.1%), single men (44.3%), separated men (46%), or widowed men (50.8%) to have been screened.

The Household Health Survey is conducted by telephone and includes 10,000 households in the SEPA region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties). For more information about these findings, contact Lisa Kleiner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

About Public Health Management Corporation's Community Health Data Base
Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) is a nonprofit public health institute that creates and sustains healthier communities. The Community Health Data Base (CHDB) includes the Household Health Survey, one of the largest regional health surveys in the country. The Pew Charitable Trusts, William Penn Foundation, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, United Way of North Penn, Green Tree Community Health Foundation, North Penn Community Health Foundation, Thomas Scattergood Foundation, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, and over 350 local agencies from the health, government, nonprofit and academic sectors, help to support the CHDB and survey. For more information, visit www.phmc.org.

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