Diabetes and colorectal cancer screening among men and women in the USA: National Health Interview Survey: 2008, 2010

Purpose Adults with diabetes are at increased risk of being diagnosed with and dying from colorectal cancer, but it is unclear whether colorectal cancer screening (CRCS) use is lower in this population. Using the 2008 and 2010 National Health Interview Survey data, we examined whether guideline-concordant CRCS is lower among men and women with self-reported diabetes. Methods We calculated the weighted percentage of guideline-concordant CRCS and unadjusted and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) comparing adults aged 51–75 years with diabetes ( n = 6,514) to those without ( n = 8,371). We also examined effect modification by age (51–64 and 65–75), race/ethnicity, and number of medical office visits (0–3, ≥4). Results The unadjusted prevalence of CRCS among men with diabetes was significantly higher than men without (63.3 vs. 58.0 %; PR = 1.09 95 % CI 1.03–1.16). In adjusted models, this relationship was evident among older [adjusted PR (aPR) = 1.13 95 % CI 1.06–1.21] but not younger men (aPR = 0.99 95 % CI 0.91–1.08; p for interaction term ≤0.01). There was no significant association between diabetes and CRCS among women overall (56.6 vs. 57.9 %; PR = 0.98 95 % CI 0.92–1.04) or by age group. Race/ethnicity and the number of medical visits did not significantly modify the association between diabetes and CRCS for men or women. Conclusions Men and women with self-reported diabetes were not less likely to be up to date with CRCS than those without diabetes. Older men with diabetes were more likely to be up to date with CRCS than those without diabetes.