Abstract:Colorectal cancer (CRC) disparities continue to persist in the four corners region (states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado) of the United States. The Comprehensive Cancer Control (CCC) state plans provide a policy and practice snapshot on how a state identifies and addresses its cancer burden. This study critically examines the four state plans to identify gaps and opportunities for cancer prevention and control. Using a conventional content analysis approach, we reviewed the CCC plans for CRC scree… Show more
“…Comparatively, cancer prevalence was higher in the Four Corners states region (7.0%) than the national estimate of 5.4% 43. This region experiences unique environmental challenges, with expanding and aging populations that may affect these estimates 21,24. C3 was significantly associated with high-risk health behaviors and chronic disease in the Four Corners states region after accounting for population demographics and geography.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The Four Corners states region of the United States represents the political boundaries of 4 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah 20. Compared with national averages, the Four Corners states experience greater economic poverty and health disparities while being home to a greater percentage of Hispanic and Indigenous populations 21. The Four Corners states share regional characteristics such as an arid environment, rural and frontier areas, rapidly expanding populations—including some of the cities with the highest growth rates—such as Phoenix and Denver, and large areas with Federal Tribal Lands—including the largest reservation in the United States 22,23.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…43 This region experiences unique environmental challenges, with expanding and aging populations that may affect these estimates. 21,24 C3 was significantly associated with high-risk health behaviors and chronic disease in the Four Corners states region after accounting for population demographics and geography. Therefore, it may be possible that C3 is influential to the variance in estimates for chronic disease observed compared with national averages despite similar estimates for high-risk health behaviors.…”
Section: E81mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…20 Compared with national averages, the Four Corners states experience greater economic poverty and health disparities while being home to a greater percentage of Hispanic and Indigenous populations. 21 The Four Corners states share regional characteristics such as an arid environment, rural and frontier areas, rapidly expanding populations-including some of the cities with the highest growth rates-such as Phoenix and Denver, and large areas with Federal Tribal Lands-including the largest reservation in the United States. 22,23 Furthermore, this region encompasses a large part of the US-Mexico border and faces challenges related to climate change such as droughts, water shortages, and wildfires.…”
Context:
Social determinants of health (SDOH) impact population health. Leveraging community-level strengths related to SDOH through a social infrastructure perspective can optimize health behaviors and health outcomes to promote health equity.
Objective:
Our aims were to develop, validate, and apply the Connected Community Classification (C3) as comprehensive community-level measure of protective SDOH and structural factors in the Four Corners states region of the United States.
Design:
C3 was developed using an iterative principal component analysis of publicly available data mapped to 5 SDOH domains. Regional clustering of C3 by zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) was identified using spatial autocorrelation methods.
Main Outcomes:
In adjusted spatial autoregressive models, we analyzed the association of C3 with high-risk health behaviors and chronic disease prevalence using publicly available data for population-level estimates of fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, and cancer.
Results:
C3 was found to be reliable and valid; a C3 value of 10 indicates communities with greater connection (high), while a value of 1 indicates communities with greater separation (low) to social infrastructure. Lower connection, as measured by C3, was significantly inversely associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake, lower physical activity, and higher rates of obesity, smoking, CHD, diabetes, and cancer. C3 was significantly positively associated with heavy alcohol use.
Conclusions:
These findings demonstrate that communities connected to social infrastructure have better population health outcomes. C3 captures protective community attributes and can be used in future applications to assist health researchers, practitioners, nonprofits, and policymakers to advance social connection and health equity in geographically diverse underserved regions.
“…Comparatively, cancer prevalence was higher in the Four Corners states region (7.0%) than the national estimate of 5.4% 43. This region experiences unique environmental challenges, with expanding and aging populations that may affect these estimates 21,24. C3 was significantly associated with high-risk health behaviors and chronic disease in the Four Corners states region after accounting for population demographics and geography.…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The Four Corners states region of the United States represents the political boundaries of 4 Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah 20. Compared with national averages, the Four Corners states experience greater economic poverty and health disparities while being home to a greater percentage of Hispanic and Indigenous populations 21. The Four Corners states share regional characteristics such as an arid environment, rural and frontier areas, rapidly expanding populations—including some of the cities with the highest growth rates—such as Phoenix and Denver, and large areas with Federal Tribal Lands—including the largest reservation in the United States 22,23.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…43 This region experiences unique environmental challenges, with expanding and aging populations that may affect these estimates. 21,24 C3 was significantly associated with high-risk health behaviors and chronic disease in the Four Corners states region after accounting for population demographics and geography. Therefore, it may be possible that C3 is influential to the variance in estimates for chronic disease observed compared with national averages despite similar estimates for high-risk health behaviors.…”
Section: E81mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…20 Compared with national averages, the Four Corners states experience greater economic poverty and health disparities while being home to a greater percentage of Hispanic and Indigenous populations. 21 The Four Corners states share regional characteristics such as an arid environment, rural and frontier areas, rapidly expanding populations-including some of the cities with the highest growth rates-such as Phoenix and Denver, and large areas with Federal Tribal Lands-including the largest reservation in the United States. 22,23 Furthermore, this region encompasses a large part of the US-Mexico border and faces challenges related to climate change such as droughts, water shortages, and wildfires.…”
Context:
Social determinants of health (SDOH) impact population health. Leveraging community-level strengths related to SDOH through a social infrastructure perspective can optimize health behaviors and health outcomes to promote health equity.
Objective:
Our aims were to develop, validate, and apply the Connected Community Classification (C3) as comprehensive community-level measure of protective SDOH and structural factors in the Four Corners states region of the United States.
Design:
C3 was developed using an iterative principal component analysis of publicly available data mapped to 5 SDOH domains. Regional clustering of C3 by zip code tabulation area (ZCTA) was identified using spatial autocorrelation methods.
Main Outcomes:
In adjusted spatial autoregressive models, we analyzed the association of C3 with high-risk health behaviors and chronic disease prevalence using publicly available data for population-level estimates of fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, obesity, smoking, alcohol use, coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, and cancer.
Results:
C3 was found to be reliable and valid; a C3 value of 10 indicates communities with greater connection (high), while a value of 1 indicates communities with greater separation (low) to social infrastructure. Lower connection, as measured by C3, was significantly inversely associated with lower fruit and vegetable intake, lower physical activity, and higher rates of obesity, smoking, CHD, diabetes, and cancer. C3 was significantly positively associated with heavy alcohol use.
Conclusions:
These findings demonstrate that communities connected to social infrastructure have better population health outcomes. C3 captures protective community attributes and can be used in future applications to assist health researchers, practitioners, nonprofits, and policymakers to advance social connection and health equity in geographically diverse underserved regions.
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