Screening Time: Increased Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Haitian Americans

The American College of Gastroenterology and the American Cancer Society (2018) issued new guidelines recommending adults aged 45 years and older with an average risk of colorectal cancer undergo regular screening. When colorectal cancer is diagnosed at earlier stages, available treatments are more successful. Haitian immigrants are among the fastest growing group of immigrants in the US with Florida being the second largest number of people of Haitian heritage. National studies do not distinguish Haitians from the other Blacks subgroups and there are no specific statistics within African descent subgroups on colorectal cancer incidence and rate of screening. Based on the new guidelines from the American Cancer Society and the American College of Gastroenterology recommending early screening for African Americans and African descents, this project aimed at improving colorectal cancer screening rates and intent to screen among Haitian Americans in a faith-based community setting through the implementation of and educational colorectal cancer toolkit.