Cancer control in rural Appalachia

Abstract

The authors describe the rural Appalachian population and the nature of the cancer control challenge in this area. With regard to cancer control issues, the rural, poor white population in Appalachia is comparable in many ways to low-income African Americans, Hispanics, and other minority populations. Both the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have focused attention on the need to increase cervical and breast cancer screening in populations defined by their socioeconomic status (SES) as well as race and ethnicity. In addition to African-American women and Hispanic women, they have targeted older women (over the age of 70 years), women with low income, and/or those who have not completed high school. In much of Appalachia, these groups are comprised mainly of white women, underscoring the necessity of considering SES as well as race and ethnicity when addressing the cancer control needs of the underserved. Cancer 1998;83:1868-1871. © 1998 American Cancer Society.