Abstract
Low educational attainment and high cancer incidence and mortality rates have long been a challenge in Appalachian Kentucky. Prior studies have reported disparities in cancer incidence and mortality between Appalachian and non-Appalachian populations, but the influence of education on this disparity has not been extensively studied. Herein, all cancers and two cancer sites with available screenings (colorectal and lung) were joined with education indicators (educational attainment and literacy) and one geographic indicator across all 120 Kentucky counties. This dataset was used to build choropleth maps and perform simple linear and spatial regression to assess statistical significance and to measure the strength of the linear relationship between county-level education and cancer-related outcomes in Appalachian and non-Appalachian Kentucky. Among all cancer sites, age-adjusted cancer incidence and mortality was higher in Appalachian versus non-Appalachian Kentucky. The percentage of the population not completing high school was positively correlated with increased colorectal and lung cancer incidence and mortality in Appalachia. Similarly, counties with a higher percentage of the population lacking basic literacy had the strongest correlation with colorectal and lung cancer incidence and mortality, which were concentrated in Appalachian Kentucky. Our findings suggest a need for implementing interventions that increase educational attainment and enhance basic literacy as a means of improving cancer outcomes in Appalachia.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 6363 |
Journal | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Volume | 20 |
Issue number | 14 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2023 by the authors.
Keywords
- Appalachia
- cancer
- cancer education
- disparities
- literacy
- rural health
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pollution
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis