The existing literature offers no information about the extent to which rural compared to urban adults have delayed cancer preventive screenings during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is predicted to contribute to higher cancer mortality rates.

Using nationally representative data from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), we examined how the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the receipt of recommended screenings for the detection of common cancers. The HINTS includes questions about the receipt of cervical, breast, and colorectal cancer screenings that we used to determine if individuals received screenings in accordance with U.S. Preventive Services Guidelines. We compared changes in the rates of the receipt of these cancer preventive services across time (2019, 2020, and 2021) among adults residing in metropolitan (urban) and non-metropolitan (rural) counties.

The study findings informed policymakers about the potential widening of rural/urban disparities in the receipt of cancer preventive services during the pandemic and the potential need to specifically target prevention services toward rural residents to avoid an uptick in cancer incidence and mortality.

Publications

• Cervical Cancer Screening Rates Among Rural and Urban Females, From 2019 to 2022
  Journal Article
  Rural and Underserved Health Research Center
  Date: 06/2024
  This study examines the receipt of a Papanicolaou test in the past year among U.S. females overall and females residing in rural and urban areas in 2019, 2020, and 2022, using the Health Information National Trends Survey.