Community Factors and County-Level Cancer Screening, Prevalence, and Mortality

What is the relative importance across a diverse set of community factors for explaining county-level differences in screening, prevalence, and mortality rates for breast, lung, prostate, and colon cancers?In this cross-sectional study including all US counties, random forest modeling found that the relative explanatory importance of community measures on cancer screening, prevalence, and mortality rates differed, both within and across cancers. Geospatial patterns also varied, revealing regional and county-level needs.These findings suggest that the relative importance of community factors and specific local and regional needs together can inform prioritization and direct resources to the most opportune focus areas to impact cancer outcomes.

Corresponding Author: Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD, Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, 1891 Preston White Dr, Reston, VA 20191 (erula@neimanhpi.org).

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