University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Madison, WI
B. J. Eckelmann1, R. Ingebritsen2, S. Shuster2, J. Poterala2, F. Kaiksow2, and G. C. Blitzer3; 1Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics, Madison, WI, 2University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, 3Department of Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI
Purpose/Objective(s): Incarceration rates in the US are the highest in the world. Cancer risk is higher among incarcerated persons in the US than nonincarcerated. Incarcerated females experience high cancer rates relative to incarcerated males. Health literacy is associated with increased screening, yet there is minimal published information on cancer screening literacy among women who are incarcerated in US prisons. Decreased health literacy in combination with limited self-advocacy may impact justice-involved women’s cancer screening. We conducted a survey of incarcerated persons in Wisconsin’s largest prison for females, Taycheedah Correctional Institution (TCI), on their familiarity with cancer screening. Materials/
Methods: A 31-item paper survey was distributed to all incarcerated individuals at TCI. The survey measured respondents’ knowledge and attitudes towards breast, cervical, and colon cancer screening, and collected demographic data including age and self-reported race/ethnicity. Results: Of the estimated 830 possible participants (2023 reported TCI population), 661 surveys were returned for a nearly 80% response rate. Self-reported race/ethnicity was 68% White/Caucasian, 17% Black/African American, 8% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 5% Latinx, and 1% Asian. Almost all respondents were within the age range for cervical cancer screening based on USPSTF recommendations, and about half were within the range for breast and colon cancer screening. Overall familiarity for breast cancer screening was 89.3%, for cervical cancer was 85.2%, and for colon cancer was 76.8%. Knowledge generally increased as age increased, and as duration of incarceration decreased. White respondents had the most overall knowledge, while American Indian/Alaskan Native and Asian respondents had the least. Conclusion: In this assessment of cancer screening knowledge among incarcerated women, overall familiarity with cancer screening was high, with highest rates for breast cancer and lowest rates for colon cancer. There were differences in familiarity between populations with different lengths of incarceration, between age groups, and between racial/ethnic groups. These differences highlight high-risk incarcerated subpopulations that may benefit from intervention to increase knowledge. Future research should assess screening experiences during incarceration, including measuring any racial/ethnic differences in reported desire for and actual receipt of screening.
