Beyond the Black Box A Systematic Review of Breast, Prostate, Colorectal, and Cervical Screening Among Native and Immigrant African-Descent Caribbean Populations

• Published in: Journal of immigrant and minority health Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 905 - 924
• Main Authors: Consedine, Nathan S., Tuck, Natalie L., Ragin, Camille R., Spencer, Benjamin A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer Science + Business Media 01.06.2015; Springer US; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: African Americans; Attrition (Research Studies); Black or African American; Black People; Black Studies; Cancer; Caribbean Region; Comparative Law; Cultural differences; Early Detection of Cancer; Emigrants and Immigrants; Ethnic Groups; Females; Guidelines; Haitians; Hispanic Americans; Humans; Immigrants; Immigration; International & Foreign Law; Males; Mammography; Medical prognosis; Medical screening; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Minority & ethnic groups; Mortality; Noncitizens; ORIGINAL PAPER; Patient Participation; Private International Law; Prostate cancer; Public Health; Sociology; Studies; Subpopulations; Systematic review; Whites; Womens health; Caribbean Region; United States > US; Caribbean area; Colorectal; Afro-Caribbean; Cervical; Breast; Disparities; Prostate; Cancer screening; Ethnic subpopulations; African American
• ISSN: 1557-1912; 1557-1920; 1557-1920
• DOI: 10.1007/s10903-014-9991-0

Cancer screening disparities between black and white groupings are well-documented. Less is known regarding African-descent subpopulations despite elevated risk, distinct cultural backgrounds, and increasing numbers of Caribbean migrants. A systematic search of Medline, Web of Science, PubMed and SCOPUS databases (1980–2012) identified 53 studies reporting rates of breast, prostate, cervical, and colorectal screening behavior among immigrant and non-immigrant Caribbean groups. Few studies were conducted within the Caribbean itself; most work is US-based, and the majority stem from Brooklyn, New York. In general, African-descent Caribbean populations screen for breast, prostate, colorectal, and cervical cancers less frequently than US-born African-Americans and at lower rates than recommendations and guidelines. Haitian immigrants, in particular, screen at very low frequencies. Both immigrant and non-immigrant African-descent Caribbean groups participate in screening less frequently than recommended. Studying screening among specific Caribbean groups of African-descent may yield data that both clarifies health disparities between US-born African-Americans and whites and illuminates the specific subpopulations at risk in these growing immigrant communities.