Understanding geographic and racial/ethnic disparities in mortality from four major cancers in the state of Georgia: a spatial epidemiologic analysis, 1999–2019

Justin Xavier Moore, Martha S. Tingen, Steven S. Coughlin, Christine O’Meara, Lorriane Odhiambo, Marlo Vernon, Samantha Jones, Robert Petcu, Ryan Johnson, K. M. Islam, Darryl Nettles, Ghadeer Albashir, Jorge Cortes

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

We examined geographic and racial variation in cancer mortality within the state of Georgia, and investigated the correlation between the observed spatial differences and county-level characteristics. We analyzed county-level cancer mortality data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer mortality among adults (aged ≥ 18 years) in 159 Georgia counties from years 1999 through 2019. Geospatial methods were applied, and we identified hot spot counties based on cancer mortality rates overall and stratified by non-Hispanic white (NH-white) and NH-black race/ethnicity. Among all adults, 5.0% (8 of 159), 8.2% (13 of 159), 5.0% (8 of 159), and 6.9% (11 of 159) of Georgia counties were estimated hot spots for breast cancer, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer mortality, respectively. Cancer mortality hot spots were heavily concentrated in three major areas: (1) eastern Piedmont to Coastal Plain regions, (2) southwestern rural Georgia area, or (3) northern-most rural Georgia. Overall, hot spot counties generally had higher proportion of NH-black adults, older adult population, greater poverty, and more rurality. In Georgia, targeted cancer prevention strategies and allocation of health resources are needed in counties with elevated cancer mortality rates, focusing on interventions suitable for NH-black race/ethnicity, low-income, and rural residents.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number14143
JournalScientific reports
Volume12
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Understanding geographic and racial/ethnic disparities in mortality from four major cancers in the state of Georgia: a spatial epidemiologic analysis, 1999–2019'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this