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Background and Aims: The burden of early-onset colorectal cancer (EoCRC) has been increasing among young adult populations in the U.S. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the incidence and mortality of EoCRC and the supply of gastroenterology (GI) specialists and primary care physicians (PCP). Methods: This was an ecological study of EoCRC cases among US counties that occurred between 2014 and 2018. Data was obtained from US cancer statistics. County-level data, including sociodemographic (eg, percentage of female, non-White residents, poverty rate, rurality) and physician supply (GI specialists and PCPs) was obtained from area health resources files. We estimated linear mixed-effects models with the county as a random effect to examine the association of physician supply with 5-year average age-adjusted EoCRC incidence and mortality. Models were adjusted for aggregate county-level socioeconomic characteristics. Multicollinearity was tested through variation inflation. Results: Analysis included 855 US counties. Mean age-adjusted EoCRC incidence and mortality rates between 2014–2018 were 9.5 (standard deviation [SD]: 2.7) and 2.7 (SD: 0.8) per 100,000 persons, respectively. In the adjusted model, GI supply was associated with lower EoCRC incidence (−5.6 percentage-point change per SD; 95% confidence interval, −11.0 to −0.1) but not with EoCRC mortality (P = .558). PCP supply was associated with lower EoCRC mortality (−27.0 percentage-point change per SD; 95% confidence interval, −46.1 to −7.8) but not with EoCRC incidence (P = .077). Conclusion: Greater GI specialist supply was associated with a reduction in EoCRC incidence but not improved mortality. Study findings suggest the need for early colorectal cancer screening efforts and the potential for expanding GI services and referrals in medically underserved areas.

Background and objectives: Inadequate minority participation in clinical research can threaten the applicability and strength of scientific findings. Previous research suggests that trial participation rates are lowest among Asian Americans, compared to other groups. This study explored barriers to clinical research participation among elder Chinese living in Houston, Texas. Additionally we administered the Trust in Medical Researchers Scale (TIMRS), used previously in researching trust in medical researchers as related to research participation. Design: In this mixed methods study, a semi-structured interview, including the TIMRS were administered to 30 adults of Chinese ancestry aged 50 years or older recruited from a Chinese community center. Interviews were conducted in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and independently coded and analyzed using thematic content analysis. TIMRS scores were calculated for participants. Results: Participants were 70% female, 70% were 60 or elder, all were foreign born and on average lived in the US for 21.8 years. Participants perceived risks to research participation and preferred language concordant research staff. Interviewees were more willing to participate if they perceived personal and community health-related benefits. The overall TIMRS score was 23.9 (±5.0), lower than the overall TIMRS for Whites in a previous study (P

Objective: Adherence to clinical guidelines is key to improving diabetes care. Contemporary knowledge of guideline adherence is lacking. This study sought to produce a national snapshot of primary care physicians’ (PCPs) adherence to the American Diabetes Association guidelines for monitoring diabetes and determine whether continuity of care promotes adherence. Methods: Using the 2013 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, we examined adherence to ordering hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and lipid profile tests as recommended by the American Diabetes Association for monitoring diabetes in 2379 primary care visits of patient with diabetes. Results: In the preceding 12 months, less than 60.0% of the patients were given a test recommended for monitoring diabetes (58.0% for HbA1c and 57.0% for lipid profile). Continuity of care with PCPs increased the odds of adhering to diabetes monitoring guidelines by 36.0% for the HbA1c test (P=0.06) and by 76.0% for the lipid profile test (P=0.0006). Conclusion: A substantial gap exists in achieving optimal monitoring for diabetes in primary care settings in the United States. While PCPs are ideally positioned to ensure that guidelines are closely followed, we found that even in primary care settings, patient-provider continuity of care was associated with guideline adherence.