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Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between county-level characteristics and the incidence of invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix among Hispanic women. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program's 18 registries from 2000-2009 were queried. Average annual age-adjusted incidence rates for invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix among Hispanic women were calculated. Patients were then stratified by residence in a county with high vs low percent language isolation (LI), income, and education levels. Results: Among Hispanic women living in high LI, the highest incidence of cervical cancer was found among women residing in counties with low incomes and low education levels (11.3; CI: 10.8-11.8). Conclusions: County-level characteristics are associated with cervical cancer incidence in Hispanic women. A more precise understanding of contributing socioeconomic factors such as language may facilitate the design of targeted research studies and interventions, and community-level public policy interventions might be effective in reducing the unequal burden of cervical cancer in Hispanic women in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nearly half of U.S. adults have difficulties with health literacy (HL), which is defined as the ability to adequately obtain, process, and understand basic health information. Lower HL is associated with negative health behaviors and poor health outcomes. Racial/ethnic minorities and those with low socioeconomic status (SES) are disproportionately affected by poor HL. They also have higher smoking prevalence and more difficulty quitting smoking. Thus, lower HL may be uniquely associated with poorer cessation outcomes in this population.Methods: This study investigated the association between HL and smoking cessation outcomes among 200, low-SES, racially/ethnically diverse smokers enrolled in smoking cessation treatment. Logistic regression analyses adjusted for demographics (i.e., age, gender, race/ethnicity, relationship status), SES-related characteristics (i.e., education, income), and nicotine dependence were conducted to investigate associations between HL and smoking relapse at the end of treatment (3 weeks post quit day).Results: Results indicated that smokers with lower HL (score of < 64.5 on the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine [REALM]) were significantly more likely than those with higher HL (score of ≥ 64.5 on the REALM) to relapse by the end of treatment, even after controlling for established predictors of cessation including demographics, SES, and nicotine dependence (OR = 3.26; 95% CI = 1.14, 9.26).Conclusions: Findings suggest that lower HL may serve as an independent risk factor for smoking relapse among low-SES, racially/ethnically diverse smokers enrolled in treatment. Future research is needed to investigate longitudinal relations between HL and cessation outcomes and potential mechanisms of this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]